AVILLA, Mo. — A genuine Christmas spirit-led initiative will carry on into the New Year in Avilla.
Students in the Explorers Class – a group of 12 high achieving kids in grades 3-5 – are on a mission to clean and improve the town’s park alongside Historic Route 66. Conversations about how to make a “social change” inspired the kids this holiday season to pursue an idea for a clean and safe place to play. So far in their efforts, they have found little caring hearts are going to do something big for the whole community.
“We want to help change our community in a better way,” said fifth grader Lela Thompson. “Right now you can’t sit at the picnic table without trash all around you and hornets’ nests.”
Led by the three fifth graders in the group, the Explorers practiced their pitch presentation to their fellow classmates at the Avilla Elementary School before they took their idea to the school board. Thompson, Zoiee Lee and Emma Eisensee said the dream includes: cleaning up the trash, adding some fresh paint, updating the play equipment and installing a new fence. Lee added some extra features will be some bird houses, new shrubbery, squirrel feeders and a free food pantry box.
“We’re not sure how much this will cost but we already have volunteers who said they’d help us with this, and we’re going to make donation boxes for people to help pay for it,” said Eisensee. “This park is in desperate need of help, and when it’s better, the park will help our community.”
Avilla school board member Collier Downing said the idea was well received.
“To be honest I thought it was absolutely amazing – I hadn’t heard they were planning to do this,” he said. “It’s great to see kids still want to give back to our community. Their plan is very well designed.”
Donation boxes can already be found around the Avilla community. The Explorers group hopes to have donations collected by March 2024, and the park finished by April 12 so that Avilla families can enjoy it when school breaks for summer. To inquire about the project or to make a donation, please reach out to Tami Brinkhoff at 417-592-6899 or [email protected].
“The students have done all the work to develop and promote this project on their own,” said Tammi Brinkhoff, Avilla school counselor. “They are excited to see all the support they’ve been given and it’s only just begun to take shape. I look forward to seeing the result.”
