HVCC kicks off the summer with community service

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DEL NORTE— The High Valley Community Center (HVCC) is in full swing with their summer program and the students have been hard at work enjoying the warm summer days by completing several community service projects.

According to center development coordinator Katheryn Trujillo, the students have been very busy. “We have been out watering flowers throughout town, cleaning up parks and other areas as well as sweeping sidewalks,” said Trujillo.

“The students spent some time cleaning up the hotel by the old High Valley Community Center along Grande Avenue and the new owner presented me and the teens with a $100 check for their hard work,” said Trujillo. The teen program has been a huge success in the past, providing area youth with life skills that will serve them in the future and bring them closer to the community in which they live.

“Students have also been working closely with Suzanne Gosar and learning about Gorilla Gardening which is a great way to make an area beautiful while making it better. Suzanne has been a guiding force for the ten program and we couldn’t be happier with the results. Suzanne has bought all of the teens root beer floats to thank them for their hard work,” stated Trujillo.

Students have also spent a considerable amount of time working on their “pay it forward” program by handing out bottles of water to passerbys and notes with little sayings about kindness written by the students. “We wanted to do something that shows our teens what a kind word or gesture can do for a community. It is a great way to show how the small things a person does can result in the biggest change,” explained Trujillo.

The summer program will also include classes that will focus on life skills for the teen students enrolled in the program. “We want to introduce classes that will help provide basic knowledge on things like balancing a check book, talk about credit scores, what they are and how they can affect you. We also plan on teaching students easy things like how to do laundry, cook and possibly how to change a tire or check their oil. These are things that will help to better prepare them for their futures,” stated Trujillo.

In addition to the life skill classes, the teens will also be heading back out into their community to continue the mentorship program that began last year. Students will be mentoring at local businesses like the Del Norte Public Library to learn new skills in the work place. “We are hoping to develop relationships within the community that may come in handy later when our students go out and pursue a real job. Our hope is that by mentoring at local businesses, employers will choose these students over other applicants because of their internship experience,” said Trujillo.

The students can be seen out in the community Tuesday and Thursday mornings; be sure to stop and say hello.