“I believe in WIN’s mission of providing people with the ability to own their own home, rebuilding neighborhoods, and creating community,” said Working In Neighborhoods (WIN) volunteer Steve Schulten.
For more than twenty years, Schulten has helped set up WIN’s holiday parties. At first, it was a family volunteer activity. WIN board member Kathy Lutz asked Schulten, her nephew-in-law if he would lend a hand. “I’ve gotten to know the people at WIN and they are always so welcoming and make us feel special for helping them out that we just continue to do it,” said the father of three.
Schulten, a current social studies teacher and former soccer coach at La Salle High School, has expanded his involvement over the years by engaging students from La Salle in helping with holiday festivities. “It turned into such a big event that I decided to recruit members of the soccer team to help. Now we also set up for Easter and occasionally help with other projects,” exclaimed Schulten.
Voluntarism is a huge part of La Salle’s culture, and students are required to complete 80 hours of community service to graduate. The Bridgetown resident thinks his students benefit from the multicultural atmosphere at WIN. “One of my favorite things is when they bring out the Black Santa and the Black Jesus. My students stop and look at it because they have never thought about how Santa and Jesus can look like that. Being immersed in a diverse community brings enlightenment to them,” said Schulten.
“I have really loved seeing WIN grow over the last 20 years to not just be about housing but also be about building community and creating pride in South Cumminsville. It’s been an enlightening experience for me as well. I plan on volunteering at WIN for a long time,” declared Schulten.