Today I met dozens of inspiring teens. They were all dressed in dirty T-shirts, were hard at work, and all of them were smiling. They are members of the Eastridge 1st Ward in Sandy. They decided to give up fun and recreation, in exchange for a mammoth construction project that will literally change the lives of a couple living in their neighborhood.
The project benefits Frank and Debby Rogers. Frank was a coach for youth sports teams for twenty five years before Diabetes claimed his legs, and in many respects, his life. He and his wife Debby have lived in their Sandy home for twenty years. The payments are affordable, and since Debby is supporting them, that’s important. Frank, because of the numerous stairs in the home was relegated to spending much of his time stuck upstairs in a tiny bedroom with his three dogs.
The youth didn’t really know Frank, since he doesn’t get out much. But when they met him for the first time, they sang him a song “Because I Have Been Given Much I Too Must Give.” Then they set about proving that they meant it. It was a labor of love from kids that became a labor of love from an entire community. The house needed much more than just a couple of ramps and a chair lift. When the youth recognized that, they were not daunted. They just began working on corporate sponsorship and rallied the grownups in the Ward to help. No one said no. Now the home is nothing like it was, walls were removed, walkways created, low maintenance landscaping installed.
But beyond the walls of the house, other things have been built; created, forged that will withstand the storms of life. The youth leaders tell me the forty youth involved in the project now know Frank and Debby and consider them friends. The relationships built in the months of the house project will carry Frank and Debby just like the ramps and chair lift installed.
The youth say they have no regrets about missing the camping, canoeing and horseback riding that was planned. Mitchell told me he’s still trying to process how it’s changed him, but he says he feels better about himself and that’s not something you can get out of paddling a canoe.
The project for most would seem overwhelming, but the youth of Eastridge 1st never saw it that way. The next time you think it can’t be done, ask a teen.
