Woodworking students at Helena High School have built and donated a series of picnic tables for YMCA’s Camp Child.
On Wednesday, the students surveyed their work and showed the tables and benches to YMCA CEO David Oclander. The five tables and ten benches will be used by campers at the Y’s Camp Child south of Elliston.
Last fall, the students drafted, built and donated a dozen benches to the camp. This time, their teacher said the goal was making sturdy – yet movable – tables.
“This time, we had a set of plans already, and we were just executing those plans,” said wood shop teacher Greg Cejka. “So there was a lot more technical stuff on these. We did a half lap for the legs and just tried to make them really stout so they would stand up to camp life.”
Tombstone Kiwanis has helped organize the project and the donation. Member Chuck Amdahl said Cejka is giving the kids more than an education in woodworking by teaching them community involvement.
Helena YMCA CEO David Oclander agreed with the importance of students getting an opportunity to be involved in the community.
“What these students are doing is investing in that next generation that’s coming up and going through Camp Child,” said Oclander. “So the investment and reinvestment through youth and young mentors, supporting younger kids as they come up. That is just really exciting.”
Camp Child held its family camp last weekend and will soon begin its summer sessions for kids. You can read more about Camp Child here.
-Reported by Melissa Jensen/MTN News
