Volunteers uncover items, assist elderly residents

Chadron State College Justice Department volunteers helped the Chadron Police Department clean up the gun range in Chadron Saturday during The Big Event.

The group of volunteers was eager to help out at the job site and to build their resumes.

Volunteers were friendly and wanted to help the community as well as work with members in their field of study.

“I did The Big Event because my department did and I wanted to help out in the community,” Alisa Hill, 20, sophomore of Lingle, Wyoming, said, “this is also a great thing to put on a resume.”

The volunteers arrived at the job site and met with officers of the PD to receive instructions. They worked alongside the officers to clean out a shed that stores items used at the gun range and collected casings and bullets from the target area.

As they cleaned out the shed, many unexpected items were found. Among these were bowling pins, a motorcycle, and a windshield. A refrigerator and a post office drop off box were also in the mix of strange items found.

The group worked hard and students were able to work with members in the field that they are studying. The officers helped direct the volunteers and worked with the volunteers as the group cleaned.

While they uncovered mystery items, other volunteers helped clean a Chadron resident’s yard.

“If you get a lot of people doing small things it amounts to something big,” Ann Buckman, CSC associate professor of physical & life sciences, said Saturday at her job site for The Big Event.

Buckman and CSC football players Matt Chitwood, freshman of McCook, and Tanner Wintholz, freshman of Sidney, did work outside for Jean Baker, a sweet, 93-year-old woman.

Baker had notes out for the three volunteers when they arrived. Baker and Lucy, her dog, led the boys around telling them what she needed done. Baker had the boys rake her front yard, stack logs on the porch, dig the garden, and move some big tree limbs that fell down in the snow storm. Baker also asked Buckman to pull up dandelions in the front yard.

“It is wonderful to have help,” Baker said as she put flags together that she used to mark the plants in her garden. Baker said she was really grateful for the help, and it was great to see the community give back to someone who gives so much herself. Baker takes “Meals on Wheels” to people in the community.

Individual CSC students helped clean up the Child Development Center by raking, painting, and organizing on the playground.

“Volunteering makes you feel good,” Savannah Johnson, freshman of Spearfish, South Dakota, said.