NewPointe volunteers spruce up Schoenbrunn
Working in the immediate vicinity of the center were volunteers from NewPointe Community Church who were taking part in the Dover church's Second Saturday Serve. During the monthly Saturday Serve, families and small groups gather at the church early in the morning to find out where they are most needed. Then, they gather up their supplies and head out to serve at that location from 9 a.m. until noon or longer.
"I enjoy doing this, because I want to give back," stated Ryan Fails, a Kent State Tuscarawas pre-law student and NewPointe volunteer who was doing a variety of tasks ranging from cleaning windows to moving stacks of gift shop merchandise and sweeping floors. Fails had never been to Schoenbrunn before, and found that he was not only helping out, but discovering a new treasure in his community. In addition to the Saturday Serves, he has also volunteered in the area in other ways.
"I used to just throw money at causes, and that sufficed. But now, as a relatively new Christian, I realize how much I have been given, and I want to give back in more tangible ways in gratitude," he said. "That is my motivation.
"A while back, a group of students from Kent went into a nursing home to work with the residents there, and I found myself drawn to an older gentleman who I spent more and more time with," he explained. "He became like my grandfather. In fact, I even spent Christmas Eve with him. I gained so much more from that relationship than I gave. He's gone now, but that impacted my life."
Fellow worker Travis Schenker was vigorously scrubbing away a winter's worth of grime from the windows at the visitor center.
"I want to help out wherever I can," Schenker said. "I also am usually helping out at the Community Food Bank every week, too. It's just what I do."
Schoenbrunn site manager Laura Milarcik moved among the workers, providing supplies and lending a helping hand.
"It is so wonderful to have folks helping out like this," she noted. "There is no way we could get ready for the season without all of our volunteers doing these necessary things." She motioned toward several dozen fourth and fifth-grade students from York Elementary School who were busy wielding rakes in the grassy site entrance area.
"For instance, these kids have a lot of energy to put into this project. They are getting all of the leaves raked into piles, where other workers can bag them," Milarcik said. "They did a lot of work in a very short time, and it looks so much nicer now. We really appreciate all of them."
Historic Schoenbrunn Village opens for the season on Memorial Day, May 30.