What began as a way to get a good grade in an Oak Park and River Forest High School civics class took on a life of its own after four juniors dove into volunteer work with local migrants who arrived at the village last month.
When Jake Karnick, Cole Douce, Brady Green and Matt Winkelhake were brainstorming ideas for a service-learning project for their civics class, the students wanted to do something that would benefit their Oak Park community.
In recent months, the village had seen an increase in the migrant population, as many more continue to arrive by bus from states including Texas, despite the lowering temperatures, taking shelter at police stations or in tents. The juniors saw the problem and set out to wholeheartedly encompass the deeper goal of the project outside of the halls of their high school.
“We saw that a lot of people were getting bussed in,” Karnick said. “We saw that they were really close to us and we wanted to do something.”
Maia Zeidman, history teacher at OPRF High School, said the project is part of the state-mandated civics class, which was made into a requirement for all high school students in 2015 by former Gov. Bruce Rauner. House Bill 4025, Engaging Youth for Positive Change, aims to expose students to discuss current and controversial issues, participate in service learning, and have simulations of the democratic process to bridge the gap in the service-learning component of the law. As students move through the unit, they discuss issues that they wish they could address.
“What are the values that you have and what are issues that grind your ears, that make you mad and frustrated and how do we approach those things,” Zeidman said.
When Zeidman found out the students had been providing aid to migrants as part of their project, she said she was pleasantly surprised and proud of the dedication the four boys had shown.
“I was surprised but I was so happy that they were so excited,” Zeidman said. “That they found this whole new direction of doing service and making a mark in the community that was meaningful for them.”
As they split up the tasks, the students posted on social media that they were collecting winter jackets, warm clothes and other essentials, such as toothbrushes and deodorant, along with backpacks to hand out to migrants.
Donations came pouring in. It didn’t take long for the juniors to have 35 backpacks filled with essentials ready to go be distributed at the 15th District Police Station on Madison Street in the Austin neighborhood. The donations went quickly, Karnick said.
“It was pretty crazy how much need these people had and how grateful they were when we came,” Douce said.
“You could see the desperation in people’s eyes,” Green said. “As soon as we got there, they all ran to us and started coming to our car to get supplies. Especially the parents in situations like that, it was hard to see. I am glad we did that and helped out but there is definitely more work that needs to be done.”
A GoFundMe request, set up by Douce, raised more $1,000, which then was donated to 15th District organizers in the form of quarters and laundry detergent to be distributed to migrants so they could wash their clothes.
But the more time and energy the juniors put into serving the migrant community, the more they realized how all-encompassing the need truly is.
“I didn’t realize there was a big need for underwear, so we also donated a bunch of underwear for shower days,” one of the juniors said.
Margaret Karnick, parent, said she witnessed a “spark” light up in the boys as they took what was expected of them for the assignment and made it a mission that would expand outside the classroom.
“These boys are student athletes with very full schedules, yet they have spent much more than their five hours of required service hours working towards helping local migrants,” she said. According to Margaret, the juniors made and packed lunches, washed and sorted donations, shopped for essential supplies, and went back to deliver hot pizza lunches and fresh fruit to the migrants on-sight, calling their efforts remarkable.
“I had the pleasure of observing their work closely, and I am truly impressed by the level of dedication and commitment demonstrated by each of the four boys,” she said.
Participating in the service project has taught the juniors the impact and power being active within one’s community can hold.
“In our community and the surrounding communities, a lot of people are helping out,” Douce said. “It builds us up together as a community and it helps out a lot of people in need.”
Douce added that a lot of change could happen for the better if more people decided to help out the migrant community that is now calling parts of Oak Park their new homes as they continue to pursue their American Dream and betterment of their families.
“If everyone helped out with what we did, that would make a huge difference,” Douce said.
With a class presentation on their work coming up in the next few weeks, the students said they hope they are able to reach more students and inspire them to think about different issues that are playing out around them.
“As we present to the class, I feel like it will make people pause and really take a minute out of their own lives and realize how much work needs to be done to help people in situations like these,” Green said.
For Douce, the proximity OPRF students have to a humanitarian crisis is not lost to him, saying that it was shocking to realize this was going on a mile down the road from his house.
While the grade the juniors will receive on their project has yet to be determined, they are all walking away with a deeper understanding of the enormous need for aid that is now present right here in their community and they hope others will also step up to help.
“Anything helps, anything anyone can do, even if it’s donations to a direct person or bringing them hot food,” Douce said.
“I feel like we did a good amount with just us four,” Karnick said. “If you worked together, I feel like you could do a lot and make a big difference.”