By Danielle Smith

Leader Staff Writer

OXFORD TWP. – Crossroads for Youth has some new hiking trails thanks to the efforts of 175 volunteers, who spent Sept. 11 toiling and sweating beneath the late-summer sun.

Students and faculty from Rochester University, as well as two partnering sponsors, caravaned from the university, located in Rochester Hills, to the Crossroads for Youth campus, ready to make a day of laying wood chips and creating connections with those around them.

This day of volunteering was part of a campus wide initiative called “Warriors Serve.”

Jaymes Vettraino, director of social engagement at Rochester University said, “Warriors Serve is a twice a year event that we do on campus for campus wide service in our community.” For the fall semester, RU chose Crossroads for Youth. “The work they are doing up here in Oxford for the youth and the beautiful property they have to maintain, we thought it would be a great place to bring 175 of our students and faculty members to come and help them beautify this trail area,” Vettraino said.

Volunteers began working at 8:30 a.m., laying wood chips in a freshly carved out path in the middle of a field which will be utilized by students, staff and residents at Crossroads for Youth.

“Crossroads for Youth is an organization that works with adjudicated youth that are 13 to 18 years old and foster care, neglect and abuse residential youth that are age 7 to 17,” said Marc Porter, executive director for Crossroads for Youth. “We work with families and youth to reunify and heal.”

Porter and Vettraino met via an executive group that the pair are both apart of. “At one of our meetings, we started discussions about how we could partner with Rochester University, and we found some synergy between the two of us…that led to today’s Warriors Serve,” Porter said.

When asked why the new trails were the focal point for the service day, Porter said, “One of the primary ways we help youth heal here is through the environment. We have this fantastic campus that really helps the kids, he said. “They can go for a walk with our staff and it’s just a very healing environment for them…it’s very peaceful, secluded, and so we are creating trails here, about three to five miles worth.”

Crossroads for Youth is in the process of selling the south portion of their campus where a mature group of trails is located, so Porter wanted to create new trails that could be utilized by the kids, but needed help from Vettraino to complete the project.

“We have conversations with who needs help. We have a large number of volunteers…our nonprofits don’t have the staff to spread that thin; they are doing the really good work that they have to do day to day, so if we can come in and help with some of those things that they would love to see done but don’t have the manpower, that’s what we welcome.” Vettraino said.

While there was a plethora of volunteers in “Warriors Serve” T-shirts working on the trails, some of those volunteers were working side by side with people who would benefit directly by having these trails: the kids that live there.

“I know for sure Rochester University volunteers are feeling the effects of working with our kids. Seeing what they’re doing and understanding how even though it seems very menial putting wood chips down, how important it is for our youth to know that there (are) people in the community that are giving back to them for no other reason than that they have big hearts,” Porter said.

Taryn Vlad, a sophomore Christian Ministry student from RU said, “I think it’s better to use our time doing good for people.” Vettraino echoed that statement by repeating a revelation that a previous volunteer shared with him: “I came out for the extra credit, but by 30 minutes into it, nobody was there for the extra credit anymore, we were just helping.”

Vettraino said that he was “very happy” with the turnout, especially since classes only began a few weeks ago. “It’s early in the semester, so a lot of these students may not have met each other yet. This is a great way to engage with each other and…just feel good about it,” he said.

Warriors Serve is always looking for nonprofits that could use their help. While the spring service day has already been scheduled, Vettraino encourages nonprofits to reach out to him to see how RU can help. “We would be happy to partner with (nonprofits) in any way, whether it’s a big Warriors Serve event…one of our athletic teams coming out and helping on something,” he said. “We are always looking for opportunities to work with our local non-profits.”

Porter was grateful for the volunteers from RU, Faith Works and Chief Financial Credit Union, but he wanted to stress that Crossroads for Youth is always looking for more volunteers and always accepts donations. “We are a nonprofit organization and we have buildings on campus that need renovations for our kids,” he said. “We have programs that we run that are in constant need of funding…so we are constantly looking for giving hearts.”

Above all, Porter wants the community to realize that the kids that attend Crossroads for Youth are just like any other kid in the community.

“They have the same needs and aspirations as any other kid in any public school…so they need help just like any youth does,” Porter said. “The community is very important (in helping) these kids along; they are our future and they are just a fantastic group of kids…they are very resilient.”

For more information on volunteering with or donating to Crossroads for Youth, visit crossroadsforyouth.org or contact Porter at marc.porter@crossroadsforyouth.org. To discuss Warriors Serve opportunities, contact Vettraino at jvettraino@rc.edu.