Seniors Abilene Rust and Addie Koehl are teaming up to execute their Senior Project that benefits Turning Point while involving the youth. Active for a Cause will take place on March 17 and 19 during Spring Break, and they will host a camp for kids.
“My Senior Project is a two-day camp at the Columbus Gymnastics Center! It will be a ninja camp for ages 6-13,” Rust said. “Rather than a monetary payment, parents will need to donate a resource to our donation box for Turning Point.”
Rust will be leading a ninja camp while Koehl will lead a cheer camp.
“I am hosting a one-day cheer basics camp at Columbus Gymnastics Center,” Koehl said.
With a project so big, they have many different steps to go through to set up and achieve a successful camp.
“The main parts of my project are volunteering at Turning Point to understand their needs, planning the cheer camp schedule and activities, creating and sharing advertisements, setting up a donation box, hosting and leading the camp, and organizing and delivering the donations,” Koehl said.
Turning Point is an organization whose mission is to prevent and eliminate domestic and dating violence.
“I chose Turning Point because it is a local organization that directly helps people in our community. I wanted the donations to stay local and truly make a difference for families who need support,” Koehl said.
Rusts’ love for kids and passion for helping the community led her to choose her senior project.
“I chose this project because I work very well with kids, and I’m passionate about helping out at the women’s shelter,” Rust said.
Koehl has been in the gym since a young age, and her love of leading inspired her to partner with Rust for their Senior Project.
“I was inspired to do this project because I have grown up in the gym environment and have always enjoyed leading and helping younger athletes,” Koehl said.
The goals for their Senior Project have evolved with time, becoming more focused and expanding past simply donating items.
“My initial goal was simply to host a successful camp and collect donations,” Koehl said. “Over time, my goal has grown to focus more on awareness, learning what Turning Point truly needs, volunteering there, and making sure people understand why their donations matter.”
Koehl and Rust’s goals have become aligned as they progress through their project.
“My initial goal was to get the women’s shelter as many resources as necessary, as well as prioritizing making sure every kid who signs up has a great time,” Rust said.
“Those goals have not changed much.” With an ambitious project comes challenges that they must overcome. Such a big project is expected to run into challenges; Rust and Koehl have had to face many, ranging from scheduling to advertising.
“The most challenging part so far has been organizing all the details like advertising, scheduling age groups, and making sure everything runs smoothly in just one day,” Koehl said.
Despite there being challenges to overcome, both have had many things go their way.
“What has gone right is the support I have received from Columbus Gymnastics Center and from others helping advertise. Planning the camp activities has also gone well, and I am excited about the interest it has already created,” Koehl said.
Their project is not only impacting the community, but it is also helping to contribute to the two seniors’ futures.
“This project connects to my future goals because it has helped me develop leadership, organization, and communication skills that will be important in college,” Koehl said.
Similarly, the project is positively impacting Rust’s future too. “I would love to be a teacher, so connecting with and teaching kids definitely ties into that goal,” Rust said.
Their project is sure to have an impact on the community, both on the kids participating and on the women’s shelter at Turning Point.
“I want to be remembered for creating something that was both fun and meaningful,” Koehl said. “I want to do this by using my passion for working with kids and cheerleading to make a positive impact in the community.”
