Scarves For Sandy Victims Gets We Day Volunteers To Training Camp
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- We are now just eight weeks away from Minnesota's first We Day. It's an event that will bring 18,000 students together at the Xcel Energy Center for an all-star concert in October.
The Jonas Brothers, for instance, are one of many groups scheduled to perform. But you can't buy a ticket to the show, you have to earn it through community service projects, both local and global.
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A couple of months ago the Minnesota Vikings got on board as well, and on Wednesday they gave an early reward to some kids for their volunteer work.
The organizers of We Day and the Vikings selected Capitol Hill Magnet School in St. Paul as the winner of a contest.
Students there have done things like make scarves and blankets for hurricane victims and collect food for a local emergency food shelf.
The principal of the school chose four exceptional students to receive the prize: a chance to watch the Vikes practice from the sidelines in Mankato, and an opportunity to meet many of them and get autographs.
Getting up-close and personal with Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was no doubt the highlight of the day.
But the excitement started earlier with a chat with members of the Vikes special team: Jeff Locke, Cullen Loeffler and Blair Walsh.
"When I was your guys age, my brother started a teen volunteer program at a hospice and homecare facility that we had my Grandmother go to when she passed. And we thought it was important for kids to understand that aspect, and give back," Walsh said.
The soon-to-be 7th, 8th and 9th graders had their own stories to tell.
"We were knitting scarves for Hurricane Sandy...and I remember doing it every day, them getting it done,," said Malique McCoy, an 8th grader. "It helped out. It felt good after we finished."
Ben Smith, a 7th grader, said the school helped students volunteer for an entire year.
"It's been fun because at school they made it fun to volunteer," he said.
Even the most socially-conscious teenager can still be star struck when players like Jared Allen and Christian Ponder are standing right in front of them.
The students said that volunteering is something they see themselves doing for years.
"Absolutely, there's never enough that you can do, so I will," said 9th grader Miyah Walker.
Minnesota's first We Day is just two months away. It's slated for Tuesday, October 8 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
So far, the organizers have only announced the Jonas Brothers as one of the musical guests, but many other well-known performers will be announced in the coming weeks.
Already 500 schools across Minnesota are registered to attend. The We Day organization still wants more to join for future concerts, but there's now a waitlist.
You can watch the We Day show live on wcco.com.
For more on We Day, click here.
