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Katie Krueger, 22, the area director for YouthWorks in Rutherford County, has been coordinating mission projects here with dozens of volunteers and adult leaders since June. The final YouthWorks team leaves the first week of August and their impact on Rutherford County has been amazing, said those who have worked with the youth.
YouthWorks is a Christ-centered mission organization that provides mission trips for thousands of teenagers and adult leaders across the country and beyond.
Katie was a YouthWorks volunteer for several summers before applying to become an area director. A new graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Nepal, Katie said she knew the day would come when she wanted to be a director after her good experiences as a volunteer.
When Katie applied for the leadership position, she said North Carolina was one of her top location choices, a place where she had volunteered years before.
"So I was very excited to get a chance to come back home. I love it," she said.
As the director, Katie and her team have coordinated work for hundreds of teenagers doing mission projects across Rutherford County, working with a number of nonprofit groups.
Housing for Katie, her staff team, along with the mission teams, have been at the Spindale United Methodist Church.
"It has been absolutely amazing and the community is so great," Katie said of the response from the area.
Teams arrive during the weekend and leave on Friday morning for the return trip home after spending days on the jobs with some time, if possible, for free time.
YouthWorks teens and adult leaders have worked in several mission project areas including Ruff'ton Roots, Rutherford Housing Partnership (RHP), the Salvation Army, Grahamtown Center, Washburn Community Outreach Center (WCOC), cleaning climbing trails in Lake Lure, YMCA camp with the Rutherford County Schools, Habitat and others. In addition to working at food pantries with distribution, the youth have worked in thrift stores, packed food boxes and loaded boxes in vehicles.
Trisha Wheat, program director at RHP, said the youth were able to complete several urgent housing repairs.
At the Ruff'ton Roots community garden, the youth have helped harvest green beans and installed cucumber trellises.
In Grahamtown the youth have been restoring homes with RHP staff and they have been building decks.
"We also try to connect with the community where we are working," Katie said. "We don't have all the answers, but we want to help with what is important to them at the moment."
"There are always new projects," Katie said. "Normally I try to get out to one service project and work with them for a few hours," she said. "Honestly, all the volunteers are all great in their own way and people are so appreciative and thankful for the work they are doing.
Youth come from numerous states across the country and once in Rutherford County, the teams are divided in various groups in order to get to know others.
Youth from Minnesota, Maryland and West Virginia were volunteering at the Washburn center recently.
The youth from Minnesota were challenged by their youth director to raise $10,000 in order to be able to finance the trip. They went $5,000 over their goal and were able to fly to Nashville and then drove to Spindale.
Sam Meehan, youth minister said, "the Minnesota youth group do a lot of local missions and we decided to go away and to see how impactful it would be to their faith to see another world, " Sam said.
He was pleased.
Other youth have traveled on church buses or vans for hours and hours from such states as Maryland, Wisconsin, Florida, Georgia, Alabama.
Teen Riley Duggan of Haggerstown, Maryland, said the hottest job for her group was landscaping.
Heinz Werner from West Virginia joined YouthWorks for her first ever mission trip and loved it. She will sign up for YouthWorks next year.
Wearing a name tag, "Mickey" a Texas youth said she "loved the work and the thoughtfulness of all those who were so happy to get the jobs done. That's amazing to us."
Karis Duggan, another youth, said her favorite part of the day was also the appreciation from those she helped when jobs were completed.
Jenny, a youth leader from Maryland, was also on her first mission trip.
"I know these youth from church, but it's been so good to get to know them and make more connections," she said.
During work days at RHP, Program Director Trisha Wheat said, "Our dedicated volunteers worked hard to help repair and renovate a home for a local homeowner in need, ensuring they have a safe and comfortable place to live."
Lindy Abrams of Rutherfordton who serves as executive director for two nonprofits said "At Ruff'ton Roots, what we can accomplish in a few hours is exponentially more with "all the extra hands. We have harvested the last of the potatoes, weeded the upcoming crop of sweet potatoes and tackled a mound of mulch-spreading it for much needed weed control, all in one day. At Washburn Community Outreach Center, YouthWorks has given the regulars volunteers a much needed 'slower pace' and lightened the load of heavy lifting distributing food boxes," she said.
Dot Abrams said, "As a regular volunteer at Ruff'ton Roots and Washburn Community Outreach Center I have found working with YouthWorks an opportunity to re-enforce the need of unconditionally loving our neighbors and being of service to our surrounding communities. Personally, it is an opportunity for me to share the 'hards of life' and how to redirect grief into something beautiful and selfless in my community. I truly believe it is our responsibility to set examples of positivity, hope and joy which I consider priceless in this day and time." She added, "The fact that these young men and women are 'choosing' to spend a part of their summer vacation participating in YouthWorks, tells me they are searching for a way to make a difference - not only in the lives around them, but within themselves."
