A Community Service Learning Project

AKZ Teens Sew Swing Cushions for East End Neighbors

Photos by Darrin Phegley

Audubon Kids Zone (AKZ) has been serving the East End Community since 2016, and it has only continued to grow. In the summer of 2022, the teen program was created. They offered a “Minute to Win It” kickoff in the parking lot to celebrate this new addition to Audubon Kids Zone. In the first year of AKZ Teens, teens came after school on Thursdays for tutoring. Then they started the AKZ Ambassadors Program for teens. Kacee Campbell, Family Development Director, said, “When the kids that we call our ‘day ones’ – because they’ve been there since AKZ opened- moved on to middle school, they still really wanted to come to AKZ after school. We knew we would miss them if they couldn’t come, so I came up with the idea of AKZ Ambassadors. To be an Ambassador, they have to fill out an application, do an interview, have good grades, and give references to contact. Once they’re an AKZ Ambassador, they get off the bus at AKZ Monday-Thursday after school and help with the activities that are going on with the elementary kids, help at events, give donor and volunteer tours of AKZ, and they go on field trips to help with the elementary kids. They also get their own field trips, rewards, and opportunities to help build their social skills and self-confidence.” Their role is similar to a teacher assistant position. The teen program also offers a weeknight where teens come together on Thursday evenings. 

A Growing Opportunity 

Kacee was over the teen program for one year. Kacee began her journey as an AKZ volunteer in January 2021 because she needed internship hours for her social work degree. Tammy Sutton, Executive Director, asked if she wanted to come work once her internship was completed. At first, Kacee was hesitant because she had been a stay-at-home mom, but Kacee said she fell in love with the kids and families. “I couldn’t leave,” she said. When Kacee came on as an employee, she became the fifth staff member. Now, there are twenty-three employees. 

Knowing she would be moving into her new role as Family Development Director, Kacee approached Tammy about bringing on their summer 2023 intern from USI at the time, Isaiah Johnson. Kacee laughed as she recalled her conversation with Tammy, saying, “You know what would be great? If Isaiah would quit his job and take over the teen department.” Isaiah was on board, so after the completion of his social work internship last summer, he came on as a Wrap-Around Care Coordinator/Teen Program Supervisor taking over the AKZ Teens. 

Kacee oversees the Wrap-Around Care Coordinators (WACCs) who are all social workers. She explained how it is the heart of AKZ, and it always has been, but they didn’t have enough employees at first. She said, “They are assigned to a family, and they empower the families to make the right choices to get their families out to break the cycle.”

The AKZ Experience 

Referrals are given to AKZ from South Heights Elementary based on academics, social skills and family support. “We help families build their support system. It is all about who you know. The more people you know, the more support you have, the better,” expressed Kacee.  The Strong Start Program is ages 0-5 where parents are involved and come work with their kids at AKZ. The Enrichment Program is for elementary aged kids. It is an afterschool program where students ride the bus from South Heights and are at AKZ from 2:30-5pm Monday-Thursday. The AKZ Teens meet once a week on Thursdays from 5:30-7:30pm. They currently have an average of 20 teens attending each week. It is a voluntary program – as everyone’s schedules are busy. Kids can come and go. It is still fresh and new, and teens are at the age they are finding other things to be involved in such as sports, clubs, etc. Where the Enrichment Program offers a bus ride to and from AKZ, most of the teens walk and/or get rides to AKZ. They will play ball while the other students are leaving. 

AKZ Teens

When the teens meet, they always eat dinner together. Isaiah schedules a variety of people and organizations to come in and speak with the teens each week such as Junior Achievement, entrepreneurs and the library to name a few. Kacee said, “We always try to hit on life skills the school doesn’t teach such as credit scores.” Isaiah said the mission statement of AKZ Teens is Respect, Togetherness and Knowledge. Those are the values they try to live by for the teen group. The three goals this program focuses on are social/emotional wellness, career exploration and financial literacy. 

The summer program will be new for the teens this year. Isaiah plans to have fun activities such as field trips, swimming and community service projects. 

The Love Your Neighbor Initiative

The “Love Your Neighbor” initiative started in Evansville with Community One who oversees the initiative. Nivea Carter, Neighborhood Coordinator, hosts neighborhood meetings the second Tuesday of each month. “Love Your Neighbor” days are twice a year to gather neighbors together and find out what they want to see changed, what they really want to push to make the neighborhood a great place to live, etc. Nivea is the one who does these surveys. 

Part of the initiative is they provide project grants. Once a year they run a grant cycle and can get up to $1,000. 

The Community Service Learning Project 

Kacee explained how the idea to make swing cushions for individuals in the neighborhood came about last spring when she was getting her own swing cushions out and noticed how she was in need of new cushions. She reached out to Tammy, “Wouldn’t that be a cool community service learning project? For the teens to learn how to sew and make swing cushions? They can take the order, learn to sew, plan it out and deliver it to the person’s house.” Kacee said, “I’d be happy if a teenager brought me a new swing cushion.” The idea was to bring some comfort and color to their neighbors on our east end. 

Last spring, Kacee and the teens wrote a project grant for swing cushions and presented at a neighborhood meeting. A week before AKZ’s biggest “Love Your Neighbor Day” that was held at the end of April, it was announced that Kacee and the teens had received the grant. At this particular meeting, AKZ fills the back of a truck up with flowers to pass out to the neighbors. The teens set up a table for neighbors to sign up to receive a swing cushion. They limited the number of neighbors to twenty, and they filled all their spots within fifteen minutes. 

By the end of this project, there will be 30+ teens who have had a hand in this project. In October 2023, they received the check and started purchasing the materials. They decided to wait until spring when the weather was warm to begin sewing the swing cushions. Tammy taught the teens how to sew. They were able to get two new sewing machines and partnered the teens up to work together. 

When the neighbors signed up, they were able to mark if they needed a standard or larger cushion size. They were also asked if they would prefer patterns or solid colors. Kacee was told the more colorful the better, so Kacee decided with a pattern material. 

Kacee laughed saying, “I put all my faith into this lady at JoAnn. I know nothing about sewing. I told her this is what I am doing. This is what they said. Can you help me?” The employee at JoAnn cut all the material and said, “Here you go!”

Kacee said the biggest challenge for this project was getting volunteers and finding community members who could sew. But – she said what she loves the most about this project is “getting the teens and the older generation together. The teens here are the east end’s future and then those who have lived here to see it thrive. We are all in this together!” 

As AKZ Teens continues to grow, Isaiah hopes to continue connecting the older generation and the younger generation with each other.