Students share a bit of warmth
Sarah Day — Staff WriterArticle Photos
ELMORE - You'll probably be hard pressed to find any young man hunched over behind a sewing machine, let alone one who has gone against the grain of the law.
Six 14- to 18-year-old guys from the Liberty Hall dormitory at Elmore Academy: Youth Services International have spent the past several weeks learning to sew quilts to give a little something back to the area.
The project was multi-faceted, and began with a book sale fund-raiser. The sale ran similar to a Tupperware party, in that for each sale the group got funds back. Carolyn Dixon, a teacher at Elmore Academy, worked with the book sale and taught the sewing. She said the students sold $634 worth of books, received $317 and bought 34 new books.
The idea behind the books and quilts was so the boys could make a donation to the Darling International/KBEW You Can Make A Difference Campout, held last weekend. The campout raises funds, toys and food for Faribault County's food shelf and toy drive.
The Elmore Academy quilts and books were delivered Friday. Today, parents with vouchers will go to the Blue Earth American Legion, where they can pick out a large toy, small toy and a book.
When Dixon began teaching students to sew, she started with a pillow case so they could learn the basics. As their skills progressed, Dixon stacked up six-inch squares of denim and flannel so the young men could create their own pattern for a "raggedy" quilt with donated sewing machines. The denim squares were made from old jeans and the flannels were purchased new.
"They learn how to use a rotary cutter as opposed to scissors," Dixon said. "They learn how to use sewing machines."
They stitch squares to make rows, and then sew the rows together.
"They're really proud when they can get all their intersections right," she said.
Dixon started with three students - a manageable number, considering many of YSI's students are there because they were involved in drugs, truancy, fights, gangs or delinquency. Some are at the school by voluntary placement. The students participated in Dixon's after-school project on a voluntary basis.
She admits the students didn't really know what they were getting into when they started. The students knew they'd be sewing and for a good cause.
"Give them an opportunity to give back to the community instead of always taking," Dixon said. "Most of these kids, when given a chance, really do well. Once we get them here and cleaned up and dried out."
Dixon's philosophy with sewing is "each one teach one." So as the three figured out what they were doing, they could invite another student to join, but would have to teach him what to do.
When people teach others to do something, Dixon said, they learn more about the subject themselves.
Keng Lor, 18, was one of the first to join the group. Lor is originally from Thailand and his family moved to Robbinsdale.
Dixon had high praise for Lor's sewing ability, noting his attention to detail.
Lor said it took him about four days to sew one quilt, working on it for about two hours a day. He didn't learn to sew until he came to the United States, when one of his classes required it.
"My mom and my aunt and sister, they usually sew at home too," Lor said. "Before (school), my aunt and mom used to try to teach me to sew. I told them, 'I don't want to learn because I'm not a girl.'"
Lor volunteered for the project at YSI.
"I really like it," he said. "I just do this to support other people who don't have any money to buy something for their child for Christmas."
Dixon also noted that Lor had a knack for teaching.
"We had another boy ... he went through three machines," Dixon said. "Keng comes over, he likes to see why things don't work or do. He wants to do a good job at anything he does. I would love for him to be able to get into being a para (professional) at a school. I would like to see him continue to work with kids in some capacity."
After the boys were done sewing a quilt for the campout, they could make one for themselves. Dixon said students sometimes come to Elmore Academy as parents, and three of the six sewers had children. She said that average was higher than the dormitory norm.
