On Aug. 17, 2021, a group of fourth- and fifth-grade students with the A. Fielder Memorial Safe Haven Weed and Seed program visited a neighboring home to pick up trash and pluck weeds from the owner’s yard.
The participants spent the afternoon carefully pulling the weeds from their roots, to ensure the weeds would not grow back.
The youth are assigned to and monitored by Mr. Nick Arias, Youth Program Specialist, who utilizes a component of an ancient Spartan teaching tool for the youth to model. The group has an emphasis on self-reliance, intellect, and protection and service toward the community.
The kids were happy to help as well. They worked tirelessly to pick up the large number of weeds that had been growing.
Ms. Lucy Miranda, the owner of the house, was thankful to the group of kids helping in her yard. She said the man who comes to maintain the yard hadn’t shown up in some time.
“Having the kids come and help remove these weeds was a big help and I really appreciated it,” Miranda said.
The youth filled 10 bags of weeds and plan to return to assist with painting Miranda’s fence in the coming weeks. Within the Weed and Seed program, through positive role models, each group of youth are responsible to give back to the community with litter pick up at parks and neighboring streets, graffiti abatement in the city, visit assisted living participants to interact and communicate with an older generation, and other community-driven activities to show appreciation and to remind them that it is always beneficial to give back to the community we live in.
This program instills responsibility, both personally and academically, communication, cooperation and creativity. The A. Fielder Memorial Safe Haven Weed and Seed program is at 906 N. Tornillo St., in the heart of Las Cruces’ Mesquite Historic District neighborhood.
