Coulterville, Steeleville High School students team up to make repairs and upgrades at the Hoyleton Children's Home

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[During the week of March 22-26, student volunteers from Coulterville and Steeleville High Schools, along with teachers and adult mentors, completed thousands of dollars of much-needed repairs and upgrades to the buildings and campus of the Hoyleton Children's Home.

Mission trip volunteers included Coulterville High School Teacher Tim Schnoeker, Steeleville High School Teacher Brian Belcher, and about 30 students from their respective Construction and Manufacturing classes. Additionally, several mentors volunteered their time to make the experience meaningful for the students, including Travis Aaron, Don Dehne, Dale Brockmeyer, Jenny Dyson, Ken Knop, Justin Knop, David Loepker, Jeff Broshears, Ray Robinson, Brian Smith, Justin Engelage, Wes Cameron, Karyn Albers and Neal Miller.

During their week-long stay at the Hoyleton Children's Home, the group installed a new roof on Koelling Cottage, which is home to 10 developmentally-disabled boys, who have been removed from their families due to abuse and neglect. Additionally, the group built a new sidewalk outside the cottage, refurbished the sign in the front of the children's home campus, and installed a new roof on a storage building.

"During these turbulent economic times, our ministries, like most others, are mindful of every penny we spend," said Chris Cox, the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Hoyleton Youth and Family Services. "The work completed by these young men and women has saved us thousands of dollars, allowing us to concentrate more fully on the direct needs of the clients in our care."

Cox added that the work done by the Coulterville/Steeleville mission group also provided a wonderful example of compassion to the young people we serve.

"The Hoyleton Children's Home is more than a residential program to the clients that live here. It's a place of healing-both mentally and physically. During their stay, these volunteers repaired buildings that have far more value to our clients than the materials they are made of. These are their homes-loving, compassionate places unlike any they have ever known before."

This is the second time that Coulterville and Steeleville students have teamed up to assist the children and young adults served by Hoyleton Youth and Family Services. Last spring, the group made several upgrades to the agency's Community Integrated Living Arrangement, or CILA, located in Highland. ?

For more information on how you can volunteer to assist vulnerable children and families, please contact the Hoyleton Children's Home Foundation at (618) 493-7575 or by email at foundation@hoyleton.org.