SPICER -- Building a new business, club or institution can be a lot like building a house -- construction starts with a solid base and moves upward from there.
But for a new youth group at a Spicer church, it has taken less than a year for a handful of teenagers to build the group's foundation and turn it into a organization that's earning recognition for its volunteer work.
Since fall, about 10 high school students at Hope Presbyterian Church in Spicer have taken the meaning of "community service" to a new level and learned much about their community and themselves in the process.
"The last six to seven months have been really life-transforming for these kids," said the Rev. Candace Adams of Hope Presbyterian Church.
During the last half-year, the group has made birthday kits for youth whose families cannot afford party costs, delivered groceries and flowers to seniors, gathered clothing and toys for families in need, collected donations for baby supplies for young, financially struggling mothers and a slew of other similar tasks.
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"I really want to cultivate in these kids an understanding of the larger issues that are facing people that are confronted daily with poverty," Adams said.
Many of the group's members were inspired to serve their community after two mission trips to Omaha, Neb. During those trips, 15 students from the church served Omaha's homeless by working in soup kitchens, shelters, food pantries and children's centers.
"(Omaha) was very eye-opening," said group member Ashley Plucker of New London, a high school freshman. "I didn't realize how many homeless people there were. ... But it was also a lot of fun."
Following the trip, Adams said, the students thought they could make a similar difference in west central Minnesota and have a good time doing it.
The youth group's most recent service was called "The Big Give," which was modeled after the popular television program created by talk-show host Oprah Winfrey. After seeking cash donations, flowers and pizza certificates from the community in late April, Adams said, the group purchased groceries, flowers and baby supplies and delivered the items to local people with special needs.
"I like that all of us are so motivated to go out and actually help people," said member Kolt Therkilsen of Spicer. "We always try and come up with new ideas to see what we can do to help people in the community."
Therkilsen, a high school senior, said group members have also reached out to younger church members with related activities, hoping to attract them to the group in a few years.
Adams said she thinks the group will have a strong future because the ideology of the group also lives inside many of the church's young members.
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"These are truly wonderful, young people," Adams said. "I don't want to say that they're unique because there are so many young people out there who want to make a difference, and I think these kids just found a way to make a difference.
"And that's what I think is at the heart of almost all of our young people," Adams said. "They want to feel significant ... and (these students) are receiving as much, they will tell you that, as what they are giving."
