SHG students Carlye Marszalek, Grant Bitzer and Kendall Burton-Smith are on wheelbarrow duty, disposing of excess brush that parents (in background) had removed around the Villa Maria Catholic Life Center.

Students and adults associated with Sacred Heart-Griffin High School in Springfield wanted to do something special to mark the 20th anniversary of the 1988 merger of Sacred Heart Academy and Griffin High School. However, simply throwing a party didn't seem appropriate, said Terry Farmer, a 1977 GHS graduate and a SHG parent.

Instead, Farmer, who chairs an initiative called SHG Works, proposed a massive community service project that the school readily accepted. He said the idea for the project grew from students asking to do work similar to what volunteers do on JOSHUA mission trips to Appalachia every summer.

"We talked about it on the way home from (Steubenville) Ohio. The kids asked, ‘Why don't we do something like this in our own town?'" he said. "This seemed like the right time to do this."

Over the first weekend in October, about 200 volunteers - students, parents, alumni, SHG faculty and staff - worked together in teams that volunteered in about 20 sites all over Springfield. They cleaned up individual yards, painted porches and homes, made minor repairs and assisted individual homeowners with tasks they could not perform themselves. All of the sites were selected with assistance from local churches, community groups and neighborhood associations through an application process.

Volunteers were designated to assist at Habitat for Humanity work sites, including the Habitat-Youth Build at 2220 East Enterprise, the Habitat House at 1000 Knoll Point and at the Habitat RESTORE Headquarters. Additionally, thanks to a donation from the Springfield Fire Department, more than 20 carbon monoxide and smoke detectors were installed at individual homes across Springfield. Various area businesses and individuals contributed supplies, funds or dinners for the service effort.

SHG junior Adam Cervellone (back) and freshman Brady Dodd paint a wrought iron fence at Villa Maria.

While some of the volunteers worked one of the two days, others worked both Saturday and Sunday. They also attended Mass and had dinner together Saturday evening. Most of the volunteers worked on Springfield's east side, but about 25 tackled a wide variety of projects at Villa Maria Catholic Life Center on Lake Springfield. Fortunately, the weather cooperated - bringing almost perfect early autumn conditions - and the volunteers were able to complete not only inside work, but outside work as well.

Mary Ann Smith, director of Villa Maria for the past six months, said she couldn't have been more pleased with what was accomplished in the main Villa building, Shively Hall, the cottage and on the grounds.

"Terry Farmer came out and looked all around with me," she said. "Since he is a photographer, he sees so much more. He immediately saw some additional things that we needed to do."

Roy West, who is in charge of maintenance at the Villa, was on hand to work along with the SHG students and their parents. Smith said the group had a detailed list of chores to work from. She expected them to get through four or five chores on the list; however they finished much more, painting and completing yard work and gardening all over the grounds.

 "I had to be away this weekend, but when I first walked in Monday morning, just to take a quick look around before a meeting I had to attend, I was shocked at how much they completed," she said Monday afternoon. "I haven't had a chance yet to look at everything, but I can already tell they did a great job."

"For SHG, the idea of giving back is nothing new," said Sister Katharine O'Connor, OP, president of the high school. "Our commitment to service is deeply ingrained and central to our longstanding tradition of academic excellence in a community of faith. As we celebrate this anniversary year, there isn't a more fitting celebration than to give back to the community that has so willingly supported the school over the past two decades."