The Lakewood community is booming. There are seven elementary schools in Lakewood’s district. There is talk of closing some of the schools, and parents are unhappy. The city of Lakewood hosted a community roundtable event, where parents could share their perspectives, gather information regarding the situation, and enable the board to make an informed decision. During this event, the Student-Athlete Leadership Team (SALT) worked with Elizabeth Rogel and Olivia Vuyancih to provide a childcare event. There were 13 SALT student volunteers who offered childcare to keep the Lakewood children occupied as their parents fought for their schools.
Originally, Rogel and Vuyancih thought they would be caring for about 20 kids on their own. When they entered the gym and saw SALT members sitting ready to help, they were pleasantly surprised. That’s why the SALT team was created: to assist the community in unexpected ways. Lilly Boland, a member of the SALT team, says, “I feel very privileged to be a part of SALT.” She, along with every other SALT member involved that night, knows the difference she is making and is happy to lend a helping hand. Boland added, “I know certain parents wouldn’t be able to find a babysitter to come to this meeting tonight, and knowing that we are helping them is really rewarding.”
Not only did SALT help out the parents, but also the children they brought with them. They set up basketball, tag, board games, coloring books, and endless activities for the children to enjoy their night.
One kid in particular, Mara Dewald, had a great time with the older kids. Dewald played with Sophia Eccher, one of the SALT volunteers. Dewald said, “This is my first time here, and everyone is bigger [than me] and I’m a little scared to play…” However, she agreed that her big friend, Sophia, was making it easier to fit in. Dewald, along with many of the other children, was able to play with the SALT members. A game of stealing shoes broke out among a few children. There was a cops-and-robbers game, and even a full-court basketball game. The SALT members were able to distract the kids and make them feel like it was just another fun playtime. Each member was engaged with the children and had some fun of their own. The SALT members’ only goal was for the night to be enjoyable for the children and successful for the parents in the meeting. According to Dewald, that goal was achieved. She even added, “I would have my birthday party here,” and she later agreed that she would want all the “big kids” there. Dewald and her new friends had an amazing night, and that’s all the SALT members and administrators wanted.
Although the night started stressful, with one kid after another filing in, it turned into a quick success. Having the SALT members there not only assisted the parents but also the staff members. Rogel and Vuyancih, as mentioned before, did not know that they would have assistance. Rogel found it very important to include the children in this community event. She said that providing childcare was “a great opportunity for us to give back and provide service and help each other out.” As an administrator in the Lakewood community, Rogel is also aware of the issue with school closures. She hopes that the roundtable event, overall, “shows that we’re all here to support the common cause and work together and come up with good solutions for our kids.” All of the parents who attended hope for the same thing: the best for their children.
Through it all, the night was a success. The children had a blast, the parents listened, learned and shared their beliefs, and SALT members lent a helping hand. SALT was designed to have an impact not only on the school, but on the community as a whole. This night proves that their initiative was a success.
