Madden teaches area youth value of hard day’s work
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Every Saturday for more than a month, Madden has led a team of youth and volunteers in the one summer chore most people dread, especially when manual labor is involved: lawn mowing.
Inspired by both a spiritual calling and a desire to see children learn from their mistakes, Madden sought places in the community where he could provide volunteer hours and found them in the Kids of the Community program.
That program, a grass-roots, volunteer effort of the Warren County Juvenile Court, spawned Madden’s program. He started working with children who had minor legal offenses and were required to perform community service hours and came up with the idea of hot summers and push mowers.
Saturday, there were 10 lawns on their to-do list stretching from Campaign to Viola, beginning at McMinnville Housing Authority just after 8 a.m. There, six teens were taking turns pushing three lawnmowers and handling weed-eaters as part of their punishment, as residents peered out their doors.
The dedication is almost unheard of, juvenile court Youth Services Director Barry Dishman said.
“He’s the epitome of what being a volunteer is all about. I want everyone to understand that he’s for real. He refuses to make idle chatter about what we need to do or what would be nice to do. He’s actually out there getting it done,” Dishman said.
It didn’t take long for word of Madden’s mission to spread. Local businesses donated equipment, maintenance on the machines, a trailer and even a van for transporting the children, but more volunteers and working equipment are always needed.
Madden likes to make sure the laborers take something else besides hard work away from the experience.
“I try to make sure these kids meet these people so they know what they are doing and what effect they’re having. If you don’t have that, the kids are lost. The don’t have any goals. They don’t have a shot. This lawn mowing just might be a ground effect. I get them face to face with the people that they’re helping,” he said.
Charles Sidwell, 15, said he didn’t mind talking about his experience. When asked what he thought about all the work he was required to do, he politely replied it was simply a service to the community.
“So far the kids have been great,” Madden added. “They haven’t argued. I haven’t had any badmouthing. They’ve pitched right in. Every weekend we’ve been doing this, they’ve fallen right in and taken over and done a great job. They’re fantastic.
“I thought I was going to have a problem, coming out of the court system and having hours and attitudes and not really knowing, but so far, I haven’t had anything. So far so good.”
Juvenile court Judge Larry Ross noted the Kids of the Community program as a whole, which includes community leaders and volunteers and was inspired by the exiting Rev. Leslie Glover, is dedicated to hands-on work to try to influence at-risk children in a positive way.
“This is a lot of what we had in mind is to have responsible adults with children who have problems and that’s exactly what he’s doing,” Ross said. “When he says ‘I’ll do it,’ it’s done. That’s hard to come by sometimes.”
Minimal fees are charged for lawn mowing, if the property owner is able. Any funds collected beyond what cover expenses help purchase items such as food and drinks for the larger program’s activities. This winter, Madden hopes to create a program where juveniles make bird feeders or flower boxes for the elderly.