Teamwork makes the dream work
From left, Coeur d'Alene High School varsity girls soccer team players Jay Ziegler, Kaylie Smart, Ellie Morrisroe, Aubree McElvany, Molly Foster and Ella Morton get their hands dirty handling yard work for foster parents in Dalton Gardens on Saturday. Photo courtesy of Christine Woeller
From left, Kaylie Smart, Aubree McElvany and Berkley Owens, members of the Coeur d'Alene High School varsity girls soccer team, rake a yard in Dalton Gardens for community service on Saturday. Photo courtesy of Christine Woeller
From left, Coeur d'Alene High School varsity girls soccer team players Myah Rietze, Elise Frazier and Liv Wyatt work at a foster home in Dalton Gardens for community service Saturday morning. Photo courtesy of Christine Woeller
The Coeur d'Alene High School varsity girls soccer team volunteered their morning doing yard work for foster parents in Dalton Gardens on Saturday. In the top row from left:Elise Frazier, Grace Breisacher, Molly Foster, Berkley Owens, Ellie Morrisroe, Myah Rietze, Aubree McElvany, Brynn Johnson, Kaylie Smart, Lauren Bengston, Remi Menier, Taleya Jones, Ella Morton and Jay Ziegler. Front row: Liv Wyatt and Sophia Allan. Photo courtesy of Christine Woeller
The Coeur d’Alene High School varsity girls soccer team spent its Saturday morning putting muscle into a different sport: community service.
"I'm just happy to get to do this with my team,” said junior Aubree McElvany. “It's a beautiful day and we're helping people. What's better than that?"
Team manager Kristi Rietze said it’s the second time the team has supported a foster family through connecting with a local nonprofit, Village of Hope CDA.
“They just feel like our community does so much to support them,” Rietze said. “It’s good for the team, and it’s good for the family.”
The team of 16 girls helped remove debris and clean the landscape up at a property owned by foster parents in Dalton Gardens.
"It's easier and actually really fun to work this hard when we're serving someone else,” said senior Ellie Morrisroe. “I'm glad we can help lighten their load a little bit."
Rietze said the team was looking into how it could use its strengths to give back, and landscaping was the perfect fit.
“It's always very humbling when the community joins together to serve each other,” said Nikki Longwell, co-founder of Village of Hope CDA. “The whole point of this is to serve each other and to help each other feel supported.”
Village of Hope CDA assists local foster families through a variety of avenues, including supporting social workers, prepping journey backpacks for new foster kids and training foster families.
Longwell said it was especially encouraging to see students wanting to serve.
"I think it's great for the girls to get out and help people in this community that we love to live in. It brings the bigger picture of life into focus and helps teach them what really matters,” said coach Andy Vrendenburg. “I couldn't be prouder of them."
Rietze said the girls enjoyed helping out, and this weekend it will be the boys’ turn.
Inspired by the girls, Rietz said, the CHS varsity and junior varsity boys soccer teams, 40 boys, will be heading back out to Dalton Gardens on Sunday.
