They can be found at almost all community events. Usually they are found in the background and out of the limelight, but they are there.
Students from the Flint Hills Job Corps volunteer their time and energy at such community events as: Make a Difference Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth.
Alesia Murray, a recent graduate of the Flint Hills Job Corps Center in facility maintenance, said she has traveled to other Kansas towns to volunteer.
“We’ve been to several places to help remodel buildings,” she said. “Wherever they need us, we are willing to go help out.”
Besides helping in other towns, the students at Flint Hills also help around K-State’s campus.
Lynda Bachelor, coordinator for the K-State Volunteer Center of Manhattan, said the volunteers have been instrumental in helping events proceed smoothly.
“It was a natural connection between us and Flint Hills,” Bachelor said. “They service the campus and community as a whole.”
Tauna Spain, Business and Community Liaison for the Flint Hills Job Corps, said some students try to go out every week.
“Many of our students try to get involved whenever they can,” Spain said, “whether it is beautification projects around town, helping out at the Emergency Shelter or even stuffing envelops.”
Since the Job Corps is a residential program, Spain said it is important for her to get her students involved in the Manhattan Community.
“We have been here for 16 years and we love having our students getting out and helping the community,” she said. “Some people don’t really know a whole lot about the Job Corps and it really helps get our name out there.”