Pierceton Woods Academy Holds Its Own Thanksgiving Celebration
Posted
Staff Report-
PIERCETON – Pierceton Woods Academy held its own Thanksgiving celebration this week, which included preparing and enjoying a traditional Thanksgiving meal, according to a news release from the Academy.
Residents also created a “Thankful Wall” where they shared what they are grateful for this year. Many of the responses included having a place to live, appreciation for staff and feeling safe.
Many of the young men were able to participate in the preparation of the Thanksgiving meal as part of the vocational program available to them. In this program, jobs are available like cooks and kitchen staff where the residents earn real-life experiences to be used in the workforce after they leave Pierceton Woods Academy. These jobs have an application and interview process, and residents are given wages for the hours they work.
With the help of Vocational Manager Bob Jones, the kitchen crew made enough turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and all of the usual Thanksgiving favorites for over 50 residents to enjoy.
When asked about his work in the kitchen, one of the boys said, “This is the first time I’ve ever helped cook a turkey. It’s been fun to learn my way around a kitchen. When I told my mom I was part of the kitchen staff, she was really proud of me. I can’t wait to go home and cook for her.”
During lunch, residents and staff played games. Many of the executive team members from the Lifeline office in Fort Wayne joined them for the celebration.
“This is one of my favorite events of the year. It’s important to make the guys feel like they’re part of a family especially during the holidays when they miss their own families so much. Our staff does a great job pouring into them and encouraging them,” said Kevin Hedrick, chief operations officer at Lifeline, who makes the trip from Fort Wayne to help serve the meal every year.
