MINNEAPOLIS - An Iraq War veteran is participating in an initiative to help inner-city children learn life skills through woodworking.
At Webster Elementary in Minneapolis, the day's activities focus on birds, not math or reading. Especially for the construction of bird feeders.
Carl Erickson said: "Some have never held a hammer and nail. Some cannot recognize five birds by name."
Erickson, an Army veteran, hopes to change that. He works with Elpis, a non-profit organization that helps at-risk youth get the tools for their future. A few days ago, Erickson came up with the idea of teaching 10,000 fourth graders to build bird feeders. Webster's is the seventh school his group has visited, and it didn't cost the district a dime.
"Because financial constraints are not always the best for districts, for parents. They're not always lining up to come to their schools for extracurriculars," Erickson said.
But here they do. Thanks to lumber donations from the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and local businesses.
"I like it. I love seeing the faces of the children. They end up being very happy,” said Lash DeClark-Ransom of Elpis Enterprises.
The hope is that projects like this, and woodworking in general, can become a life skill or even a hobby for these kids.
"It was a lot of fun," said student Kai Gustafsson.
They believe it's a win-win for birds, recycling and students. Eventually, they learn that hard work pays off and that they are the breadwinners.
"I'm going to hang it outside my window," said fourth-grader Winter McCoy.
"Kids want to do great things, and they want to do great things, and if we can help them meet those expectations, it makes for a good school day," Erickson said.
Erickson and his team will visit 10 other schools in Minneapolis over the next two months.
They also teach kids how to screen print and are always looking for reclaimed wood for projects.
