West Alexander nonprofit touches on a variety of needs
In 2019, Dr. Kathleen Miller launched the nonprofit Kleine Klasse Schule, German for “small classroom school.”
The former teacher set up a tutoring program in a building a few doors down from her home in West Alexander, helping anyone who walked through the door – from adults who needed a hand getting a GED to third-grade students who just couldn’t seem to grasp math.
Soon, the tutoring center became a gathering place for adults and those with special needs. Miller said they’d play games and socialize.
Then others began stopping by.
“People started bringing in bags of clothes and asking if I wanted to give them away, and then others would bring in unexpired food. I ended up with a full-fledged free store in the front of the tutoring building with racks of clothes set up and a section dedicated to food,” Miller said.
To reflect the broader mission, she changed the name from Kleine Klasse Schule to West Alexander Area Community for Services or WAACOS (wackos) for short.
“Our tagline is, ‘We’re not crazy, we’re just waccos’ because so many people told me I was crazy (because) I would never revitalize West Alexander,” Miller said.
It was at her home in West Alexander where the inspiration to start a nonprofit first hit.
“I was looking out my kitchen window and just felt extremely guilty because my own town had been deteriorating. I thought I should do something about this town that was so amazing when I was growing up,” Miller said.
Once WAACOS was established, Miller started applying for grants to support her vision.
She launched a community garden at the West Alexander Presbyterian Church and then a veteran banner project.
“Some said there couldn’t be that many veterans in this area, but within a year I had more than 70 veteran banners that we’ve hung on the electric poles in town,” she said. Now, there’s a waiting list for the banners.
If she wasn’t busy enough, Miller moved the clothing and food areas into two large sheds on the property and created a new gathering spot, the Gretna Green Café with breakfast, lunch and dessert.
It’s all with the vision to improve West Alexander, she said.
“It’s working. People are coming together. We have neighbors meeting neighbors. We’re hanging out at the café together,” Miller said. “My doctoral degree is in education but my dissertation was in social capital – all about connecting communities, families and schools to provide upward mobility for all people. That’s my philosophy in life.”
Like most nonprofits, WAACO can always use monetary support at https://www.waacos.com/, however, Miller said she’s also looking for volunteers.
“I’m not going anywhere, but I am ready to pass the torch on to others who believe in this and can really commit to moving it forward,” Miller said. “I’ve had people stop by and say, ‘We can see the difference this organization is making’ and I’m proud of it.”