Michigan Branch Helps Students Preserve Town's Past for the Future

At a former train depot, students do landscaping under the direction of John Makinen, a Lutheran Brotherhood member and mentor.

As the world marks a new millennium this year and looks to the future, the village of Kaleva, Mich., celebrates its centennial and a return to its roots.

Like many small towns facing a decline of farming, Kaleva was slowly dying. Over the years the community of 500, founded by Finnish farmers in 1900, lost its granary, train depot and many downtown businesses. Located in northwestern Michigan, 15 miles off a major highway and 50 miles from a major city, few people knew about the colorful history of the village named for the famed national Finnish epic, the Kalevala.

Students at nearby Brethren High School decided to put Kaleva on the map, bringing people and business to town. For the past four years juniors and seniors in a semester-long service class have learned about community service through hands-on projects and classroom discussions. With help from dozens of community and Lutheran Brotherhood West Shore Branch 8319 volunteers, 160 students gave Kaleva a new lease on life.

Through interviews with senior citizens and surveys of residents, the students discovered that the key to Kaleva's survival was to preserve what's there so the future can know about it," said sophomore Rick Groll, who has lived in Kaleva the past 11 years. "I want the town to be around for my grandchildren."

A Little At a Time
Slowly but surely, for 50 minutes four days a week, the students went to work. In just four years they transformed the vacant granary office into a Welcome Center, turned the depot into a railroad museum, converted an old log cabin into an outdoor theatre and created an art gallery from a meat market to showcase local talent.

Much of the initial cost for the project was paid by a federal "Learn and Serve" grant. Lutheran Brotherhood West Shore branch contributed more than $4,000 to individual projects, including installing a drinking fountain in Asiala Park, landscaping around the depot, building benches for downtown streets and decorating and setting out flower pots and trash cans.

"Project Kaleva" has drawn state and national attention, receiving the Governor's Service Award in 1998 and the President's Service Award in October 1999. "I knew by doing a little bit each day, we could accomplish a lot," says teacher and Lutheran Brotherhood member Cynthia Asiala. "Each thing we've done has a sustaining effect."

Lutheran Brotherhood member John Makinen who grew up in Kaleva and returned four years ago, likes what he sees: "What the kids have done is just remarkable."

Makinen remembers when the only town tourist attraction was the "bottle house" built in 1940 by the president of a local pop factory who used 60,000 bottles to build his home. Now people come to learn the town's history and experience its rich Finnish heritage displayed in student-created sculptures-- including a totem pole, mural and giant metal grasshopper, commemorating St. Urho's famed expulsion of the insects from Finland.

Life Lessons
"This project is helping students know their roots and make connections with the community," Asiala says. For each project, she and fellow teacher Deborah Crandell have mentors work with the students. Lutheran Brotherhood member Dennis Hill made the design for sidewalk benches and Makinen helped students build them.

Learning skills like woodworking, welding and building construction can help students later in life, Asiala says. Junior Brandy Ferrari spent the past semester "daubing," or fillingg in, cracks between the logs in an old cabin. "I never thought I could do anything like that," she says, "but now I'm considering interior decorating as a career."

The project also teaches students another valuable life long skill: a commitment to service. Groll joined the Youth Advisory Council, which helps with grantmaking, because he enjoyed working in Kaleva. "Knowing we are helping make a difference makes it worthwhile," he says.

Kaleva has seen what Makinen terms an "industrial renaissance" in recent years. A factory to rebuild automobile starters and alternators has opened in town. The number of visitors to the new welcome center doubled in just the first year.

"If the town doesn't grow, it will die," Makinen says. "I think the future looks good for the town and the area."