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On the job: Students spend summer helping local organizations

On the job

Anthony Pater is spending his summer days drawing caricature portraits for children and sometimes their parents at the Juniata Memorial Spray Park in Altoona.

But, if children can't find him at his post, they should look around because he also can be found impersonating a squirrel -- Max, to be exact, the park's mascot.

Pater, along with more than a dozen others, is employed this summer through a joint program with the Altoona Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and the Salvation Army, a first for the area, organizers said.

Young workers can be found cleaning up at Great Commission Schools, scanning documents at the genealogical society and cutting grass in Williamsburg Borough. They're also slated to work at the Hollidaysburg Area Public Library, Homewood at Martinsburg and the Roaring Spring Community Library.

Pater, who considers himself a children's entertainer, said he really enjoys the opportunity to put smiles on kids' faces and is grateful for his paid gig working outside.

The open air environment allows him to interact with kids and people while channeling his artistic creativity.

"I'm always eager to educate people about the world of art, animation and cartoons," Pater said, noting he will be at the park until heading back for his junior year at Edinboro University, where he is studying animation.

Pater said so far it has been a pleasure to be at the park every day doing what he enjoys.

"I love this opportunity to draw children and put a smile on their faces and give them some joy ... free of charge, which I think not many people have the opportunity to get," he said.

According to Ashley and Larry Fulmer of the Salvation Army, the program gives high school and college students on-the-job training and skills as they prepare for their futures.

At Great Commission Schools, superintendent Jennifer McConnell said Kyle Rogers and Basit Ali are a big help.

Ali, a junior computer science major from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, is helping to set up access points for improved internet connections, which will be a boon for the school.

"Basit came to us as a computer science person, and he has been really instrumental the last couple of days working with our tech director," McConnell said.

"Their internet is a bit old," Ali said politely. "So old you cannot really connect wirelessly, so that is why they have to set up access points."

Rogers, a 10th grade student at Great Commission, has been tasked with helping to clean the school and getting it ready for the upcoming year.

"I'm moving stuff around, taking chairs out to the dumpster, cleaning and helping out in the computer lab," he said.

Rogers said he enjoys the chance to be out of the house and helping the school at the same time.

McConnell said the benefits are a two-way street because it gives the students exposure to different experiences and it gives the school an extra hand to get everything done.

"Kyle today was taught how to use power tools," she said earlier this week. "Last week he was taught how to use a leaf blower."

Learning how to operate the power tools and completing other tasks gives students skills and abilities that will take them further in the workforce, McConnell said, noting that with Ali being a computer science major, he is getting real-world experience in his chosen field.

McConnell said the program is a great addition to the county and she looks forward to it growing in the coming years.

"Because it is the first year, we only have a few kids. But I think as the word gets out and the program grows, you're going to start seeing a lot more businesses offering their locations and more kids taking advantage," she said.

Williamsburg Borough Manager Joe Lansberry said having the students on board is a big help to the borough and the community.

Lansberry's daughter, Kara, a sophomore at Williamsburg High School, is joined on the job site by Krista Simpson, who will be attending Penn State Altoona in the fall, and Noah Evans, who will be attending Penn Highlands Community College.

"It is really great having them here. It gives us more manpower even if it's not the major stuff," Lansberry said.

He said the students have been doing a little bit of everything, such as cleaning the streets, mowing grass, painting curbs, and helping with water and sewer projects.

When asked why she likes working in the borough, Kara Lansberry said it's close to home.

"I just wanted a job that was close to home because a lot of jobs are not, and I like working outside," she said.

On some days, Simpson might help with a sewer line repair, Evans is cleaning the streets and Kara might mow the grass, Joe Lansberry said. These jobs all provide good work experience for the students, no matter what they choose as a major.

"I like the work and the people," Simpson said.

The group will also be tasked with painting fire hydrants in the borough.

"I just like helping out as much as I can," Evans said.

Zachary Treese, who just started at the Hollidaysburg Area Public Library, said he likes helping out, too.

"I help with watering plants, cleaning and anything else around the library," the Hollidaysburg senior said.

Library Director Janet Eldred said it is great to have help around the building.

Sharon Merritts, head librarian at the Blair County Genealogical Society, agrees the added help is a great benefit.

Issac Shimer, an incoming student at Penn State Altoona, and Austin Tapia, a sophomore at Penn State, are helping the society get through a backlog of items to add to the library's archive of records.

"I scan documents and organize them on the computer," Shimer said.

Shimer, Merritts said, was scanning old documents, with some going back to the Blair family after whom the county is named.

Tapia was also scanning documents, along with old books and early church records.

Merritts said the library borrows records from churches and scans the items to have them accessible to people doing research. The original documents are returned to the church or other individuals who loaned them, she said.

Having the youth help out is really appreciated, she said, because many of the society's volunteers are retired. With so many documents coming in, it's hard to keep up, she said.

It doesn't hurt that the students grew up with computers.

"Their natural ability to do the technical part, makes them much faster at it. They really help us get through a backlog that has been piling up for a while," Merritts said.

Another plus for the program, Merritts said, is that the students are learning something new about the area in which they live.

"We're teaching them history and they are teaching us technology," she said.

Mirror Staff Writer Cati Keith can be reached at 814-946-7535.