By Moe Leneweaver
SSP Summer Staff 2010-’12 and 12xSSP donor
My first summer on staff I was a part of a three-person construction team in South Los Angeles led by Brandon Leppla. This was Brandon’s third year of being on staff… and my third week. I would have been happy running simple projects all summer, afraid of messing up something as complicated as a wheelchair ramp.
We knew that she really needed a ramp.
Brandon and I visited a woman who had requested a wheelchair ramp. She was unable to leave her home, except the one time each week that her nephew would take her to church. We knew that she really needed a ramp. As we looked around her cramped courtyard we also knew that it was going to be a real challenge to build. This ramp was going to have complicated turns and platforms that needed to be drilled into the concrete. We decided to call it “the beast ramp.” Knowing that Brandon had the most experience, I thought it was safe to assume that he would be taming the beast ramp while I got my toes wet managing paint projects.
But Brandon wasn’t about to let me take the easy way out. He put me in charge of the beast ramp. I had to take all that I had learned during training and put it into practice. I had to not only plan the ramp layout, but I also had to teach teenagers how to build it!
It was an amazing moment that I wouldn’t trade for the world.
After six weeks of sweat and tears (thankfully there was no blood), I remember watching Ms. Garnett roll down the beast ramp for the first time. The joy of watching her was mixed with a terrible fear that the whole thing was going to crumble at any second. I breathed a sigh of relief when she made it safely down the ramp and out of her house on her own. It was an amazing moment that I wouldn’t trade for the world.
When Brandon put me in charge of the beast ramp, he gave me the opportunity to step up. When Ms. Garnett rolled down the beast ramp and out of her house, I had proven to myself that I was capable of more than I thought.
Flash forward four years. At the ripe old age of 23 I found myself in a position I wouldn’t have predicted. I was running a non-profit. I was responsible for organizing over 1,000 people to stand and demand change for their community. I was putting together proposals that leveraged millions of dollars each year. I was responsible for developing and managing the budget, for managing the other staff. I found myself with quite a bit of responsibility.
What kind of 23 year old does that? A 23 year old who has worked for Sierra Service Project.
I say all of these things not to toot my own horn- by any means. I say all of these things as a way of showing thanks for what others have done. I know that those skills, courage, and confidence came from opportunities that others gave me to develop them.
(…) there is no better place for me to invest the resources I’ve been given.
If SSP can continue to do this – to create change agents who have the courage to take on the challenges thrown their way – then there is no better place for me to invest the resources I’ve been given.
Editor’s Note: Applications for SSP summer staff are due February 8. Encourage a young adult you know to learn more and submit an application for an amazing summer experience!