Students earn class credits by doing yard work for elderly, PWDs

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Students at the Alternative Learning Center in Dubuque in Iowa, USA, earned class credits by doing yard work for the elderly and persons with disabilities (PWDs) in their community.

The volunteer yard work was among the various activities that students took part in during their last two weeks of school, as per KWWL on June 4, and will go toward their physical education credits.

“The students and I and other students come out and help them,” Tim Hitzler, a teacher at the school, was quoted as saying. “Could be raking leaves, pulling weeds, cutting grass, cleaning gutters, just depends on what they need.”

Hitzler said that he added the yard-work activity as an option because it benefits both the students and the community.

“The students aren’t typically too excited at the beginning but once they get involved and start doing the yard work they become more motivated,” he said. “What they really like is A: helping people. They really like giving back to people and meeting the person.”

The school shared photos of students taking part in the yard-work activity via their Facebook page last June 4. In the photos, some of the students can be seen mowing residents’ lawns and painting balconies.

“Every student that is involved in service learning has felt a sense of pride from helping those that need it,” the school said. “They also experience a sense of accomplishment from completing a task from start to finish.”

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The program has since blossomed into a community-building initiative, with residents inviting the students over to their homes for dinner and cookouts, as per PEOPLE on June 13. It has had a lasting effect on the students, too, who return to give a helping hand even after graduating.  

“I’ve had students that graduated that have come back to help. There’s something about helping people that really need it,” Hitzler said in the report. “It’s been amazing, the attention this has gotten. I think it’s because it’s such a simple idea.”  Cody Cepeda /ra

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