Krum ISD Education Foundation volunteers helped over 60 booth vendors pack up their wares and then carry everything out to their vehicles at the 2019 Krumtry Fest community event. This was especially appreciated because it was very rainy day. After the spaces were cleared, we worked together to sweep the entire school cafeteria and gym, set up the cafeteria with the lunch tables, pick up trash and debris inside and outside the school, and clean the bathrooms. This was a great project, because everyone could help. We had very young children pulling up the painters tape from the floors that had marked booth spaces. We had teenagers carrying boxes, sweeping, and picking up trash. Adults helped vendors pack the more delicate items and carry out the heavy things.
One of our teen volunteers was working with us because she needed to fulfill mandatory community service. Though the reason for being with us was a negative, the experience was a positive for her. She and I worked together to sweep the cafeteria, and then she moved outside to pickup trash. When we finished for the day, she told me that she had not worked with a group like ours before and that she actually had fun working with a team in such a positive way. She said she enjoyed working with her peers, many of whom were not in her normal social circle. At the end of the day, what started as an obligation turned into a positive, growing experience for her.
This was our most successful project to date, because we were really able to come together for all ages and accomplish a very big task. The school campus is not a small one, and it took a team effort to get everything cleaned and ready for school to resume on Monday. Without our volunteers, the festival crew would have had to use their people to clean the campus, taking away from the many other events that were starting for the evening. Our KEF Crew was an invaluable addition to the event, and we are so thankful that so many of our volunteers came out to support us and this project.
