Marist youths give life to Worth program

By William Jones

A program in which youths were intended to help elderly or disabled Worth residents was not going well until it received a boost earlier this month from a group of Marist High School students.

The Marist High School Campus Ministry, led by moderator Adam Wouk, contributed nine students to Worth’s “Neighbor in Need” program’s first major project since being recommissioned in July.

“I am so grateful for the group out of Marist High School,” program coordinator Stephanie Daujatas said.

Daujatas said the program has received requests for help from seven people so far, and the campus ministry group tackled one house that “needed a lot of work,” Daujatas said. The students spent nearly a full work day cleaning up the property, she said.

“I think it took a lot of burden off his back,” Daujatas said of the homeowner. “I’m just glad that someone was able to answer that need.”

Campus Ministry moderator Colleen Pchyly said Marist, 4200 W. 115th St. in Chicago, has plans to continue its involvement with the program, likely on a monthly basis. The Campus Ministry Department usually works with other religious organizations, but saw “Neighbor in Need” as another way to get students helping in the community. The group has also participated in Oak Lawn’s snow shoveling program, she said.

Pchyly said the students were happy about participating in the cleanup, though a few came back with poison ivy rashes.

Daujatas said Worth Trustee Rich Dziedzic and his family have also contributed to the program by taking responsibility for one of the parties in need. Moraine Valley Community College offered to post information on the program around the school, and Daujatas is working with local high schools to recruit helpers. Several high school students showed interest in the program at last week’s Worth Village Board meeting, but Daujatas said she is still looking for more volunteers to assign to the remaining residents in need.

The program seeks to unite Worth residents in need — often the elderly or disabled — with young people who can help with chores such as cutting lawns, pulling weeds, trimming bushes, raking leaves and snow removal. Work is only conducted outdoors and can be counted as community service hours for school or church.

Worth village Clerk Bonnie Price said the program originally started around 1999, when Stagg High School students in need of community service hours were matched with residents in need. The program was never formally dissolved, and one child shoveled driveways last winter, but it has not been in “full swing” for the last two years due to lack of participation, Price has said.

Persons interested in providing or receiving help can find more information by calling Daujatas at Village Hall. Daujatas is seeking children at least 13 years old and adult supervisors for the five zones in Worth. Homeowners requesting assistance also must provide the proper equipment — fully-gassed lawn mowers, for instance — she said.

This is part of the September 24, 2009 online edition of The Reporter.

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