Story by Ava Chuppe
Contributing writer
The Y-Corps, one of the programs of the Kentucky YMCA, brought students from all over the state to help clean up at Murray Central Park on July 11.
Y-Corps is a community service program that allows students to perform direct and indirect service in their communities, practice philanthropy by fundraising for a scholarship fund, and engage in advocacy on behalf of the YMCA.
Kentucky students from as far east as Pikeville and as far west as Owensboro collaborate with this Y-Corps chapter on various service projects throughout the state.
Ella Thornberry, one of the students involved in the Y-Corps program, said the program was all about service.
“Leading up to this, we all completed at least 50 hours of service and raised $500,” Thornberry said. “It’s all about service, and throughout our journey we try to get to know the people we’re serving as much as we can.”
Another volunteer, Lily York, said that the money raised by Y-Corps went to scholarships to help other students.
“Specifically, the money we raised all goes toward the Y Scholarship Fund, which allows students or children from underprivileged areas or anywhere in Kentucky to attend KYA and KUNA if they cannot afford it,” York said.
As team captain Abbie Turner said, the Kentucky Youth Assembly and the Kentucky United Nations Assembly are YMCA programs that allow students to participate in mock state government and a mock UN conference, respectively.
“They are youth and government conferences where they teach students more about Kentucky government,” Turner said.
York said this was not the first volunteer project completed by her Y-Corps group.
“At Elizabeth’s Village, a women’s and kids’ shelter in Georgetown, we did a garden and painted bedrooms for it to be a more homey place,” York said. “We also worked at the Kentucky Art Guild.”
However, Y-Corps adult staff member Jim Recktenwald said none of the student members of the Y-Corps knew what they were about to volunteer for in Murray.
“Typically, they do not know where they are going from day to day,” Recktenwald said. “The idea is to keep them in the moment, don’t get them thinking what comes next. It’s something of course their parents are all on board with. Their parents have a thumbnail sketch of the itinerary, they have adult contact information, and that’s it. They just say, ‘Here, take our kids and do good.’”
Recktenwald said the volunteer project was to help pick up trees that had been knocked down in the park due to weather.
“I understand we’ll be doing some landscaping, and we’ll be rolling some heavy sections of log of a tree that fell and they’re trying to remove them,” Recktenwald said. “We have the opportunity to go behind the library. We understand that there’s a woven willow sculpture we’re going to be assisting with, some additional efforts on, and then the city has been kind enough to offer the pool to us to give a chance for the kids to dip in and cool down.”
The students helped at the park after their radio interview and tour of the WKMS station at Murray State.
