Dreamers Company to host Mission Washington again
Photo courtesy of The Dreamers Company
The Dreamers Company, a Washington nonprofit, recently raised enough money through various grants to purchase this new playground equipment from Miracle Recreation.
Katie Anderson/Observer-Reporter
In this file photo from last July, Jaxon Price and Connor Smith work to remove a stump from the ground while volunteering to do yard work on Allison Avenue in Washington as part of the Dreamers Company project.
Katie Anderson/Observer-Reporter
Khameelah Young pulls weeds from the sidewalk along Allison Avenue in Washington last July as part of a Dreamers Company service project.
The Dreamers Company plans on hosting Mission Washington this year, after the weeklong community service project for middle and high school students was modified last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
From June 20 to 25, the Dreamers hope to have about 100 volunteers help get community projects done, especially in the city’s 7th Ward. They plan to stay that week in dorms at Washington & Jefferson College, like they used to before the pandemic.
“They are hosting people on campus again this summer,” said Aaron Miller, one of the founders of the Dreamers Company. “We always used to do room and board for the work week.”
Last year, in place of the usual Mission Washington week, a smaller group of volunteers did some yard work around the city a couple weekends in the summer.
“COVID has impacted our work, and we respect how people are approaching the pandemic,” Miller said. “We sent a survey out to folks who have partnered with us in the past, and about 90% were excited to come out and be a part of this. With the climate of the pandemic, we’ll be very thoughtful and careful and create space for an incredible time to make a difference in the community.”
Middle and high school students from Trinity, Washington, Chartiers-Houston school districts and local youth groups will spend about eight hours working in the community.
“It’s pretty remarkable,” Miller said. “They work alongside skilled labor contractors, and they’re learning new things and new skills as the job requires them.”
They plan to post flyers around the 7th Ward for residents who would like to participate or who have a project with which they need help. Miller said they’re going to focus outdoor projects in the 7th Ward, doing some beautification, planting flowers and “bringing some color to lift the spirits of a few blocks.
“When you put everybody together, more work can get done,” Miller said. “When you focus on three blocks at a time, you can start to really see a noticeable difference in that neighborhood.”
Miller hopes to have about 80 students and 40 adults helping this year. With that many people, they’ll be able to complete the 7th Ward projects and possibly other smaller cleanup projects in other neighborhoods across the city.
“There are always projects that pop up around the city,” Miller said. “As they come up, we’ll assess how we can meet those needs as well.”
The big project for this year is installing new playground equipment at the 7th Ward playground, he said. The Dreamers have been planning for new equipment there for a while, but the pandemic slowed the process.
“This year we’ll be putting over $65,000 of equipment into the playground,” Miller said. “It’s totally going to change the playground. There’s a lot of excitement about it.”
They received a $15,000 grant from a national nonprofit playground company called KABOOM!, along with a $7,000 discount from Miracle Recreation, where they purchased the playground set. Washington Financial offered a match grant with the Dreamers for $15,000, and the city of Washington gave $10,000. Additionally they received a few smaller grants through the Washington County Community Foundation for art and beautification at the playground.
The Dreamers still have about $4,000 to raise for the playground project. People can donate at thedreamersco.churchcenter.com/giving.