A place to serve

Rylan Montgomery found the task at hand -- drilling a screw into a table without plugging it into a power source -- very difficult.

The 16-year-old knew it would take him a long time.

My dad, 50-year-old Robert Fontana, picked up the drill, and said, "Like this unplugged drill, we are working with people who are powerless."

Reaching out to many such people is the purpose and mission of the yearly service crew known as Camp Saint Francis, held annually in my backyard. For three days during the summer, people -- young and old alike -- work throughout the community: building, painting, empowering.

Camp Saint Francis began five years ago when my dad felt inspired while talking with some friends.

"They were talking about taking their families to Tijuana for a service project," my dad explained. "I told them that they don't need to go to Tijuana; they could come to Yakima.

"There's a lot of service to be done in our own backyards."

That first year, five families participated, about 20 people in all. And year by year, more people have joined the project.

This year, 11 families participated, more than doubling the number of people involved. Seventeen teens, seven younger kids and 21 adults camped out in Yakima, giving up their weekend and donating their time to people in need.

The weekend project is appropriately named Camp Saint Francis for Francis of Assisi, who lived a life of poverty and service. Dedicated to helping the poor and sick, Saint Francis spent his life making other people's lives more comfortable.

By cleaning yards, preparing food at the Union Gospel Mission, painting houses and building porches, the volunteers working at this camp strive to do the same.

"It's a good thing to help others," said 55-year-old Bob Kane, a lawyer from Seattle. "We can't do that enough."

The father of four brings his kids to the event.

"More than anything else I want the kids to get something out of it," he said.

Melissa Montgomery, 45, has similar feelings: "The kids need a chance to serve, a chance to give back," she said.

Colleen Kane, 14, has come since day one, and it's not just because her parents make her. She believes that service is important.

"I realize that a little bit of work on my part can make a difference in someone's life," she said.

Sixteen-year-old Ali Thiel agreed, saying, "Service makes me feel thankful for what I have and happy that I get to help others."

Camp Saint Francis works with Volunteer Chore Services in Yakima to organize and plan the weekend's service projects. Theresa Wismer, a 23-year-old volunteer coordinator in Yakima, explained the organization saves all the big projects for the Camp Saint Francis group.

"We pick out the ones that should take more than one day," Wismer said.

Through hard work, the volunteers' efforts pay off by very visible leaps and bounds.

"It looks a lot better," said 14-year-old Sarah Corn about a large yard she helped to clean.

"It's fun, too," added her sister, Jessica Corn, 10.

My dad believes that we serve not only because the community needs help, but because serving others enriches the life of the ones who serve.

"Our faith calls us to serve others," he said. "We do it as families because we want to help our children become compassionate so they will grow up and do the same."

* Colleen Fontana attends Davis High School.

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