Chain Reactions

Chain Reactions is a series of stories about students who were impacted by an experience that they went into expecting to make an impact on others. Northview is a community of helpers and in this section we will highlight a few stories depicting that.

 

Chain Reaction: Brianna Kulfan moves for the mission

During a walk home, the local girls, the Kulfans and the other volunteers share a bonding moment. Photo courtesy of the Kulfan Family

Early in June 2015, freshman Brianna Kulfan left on a mission trip for Haiti. Although Kulfan was mostly just along for the ride with her parents, the trip did come with some challenges and ultimately had an impact on her worldview.

“What made it really hard was the distance,” Kulfan said.

Middle school is difficult for any budding teenager, but imagine going through that “awkward phase”

Kulfan sisters, Kulfan(Right) Sister (Left) with the local children and others visiting the island. Throughout these experiences, Kulfan met many unique people and grown closer with her family. Photo Courtesy of Kulfan Family

in a different country without your friends for support. With no close friends around, Kulfan’s sister became her greatest ally.

“We’ve grown a lot closer because we could only relate to each other in Haiti,” Kulfan said.

As most siblings do, Kulfan and her sister fought a lot before they left, but the experience brought them together.

Kulfan’s father is a paramedic and was offered the opportunity to provide American medical services in Haiti. Although she was too young to help provide medical services, she helped out around the island with the community garden and distributing water filters.

Throughout the whole experience, Kulfan noticed the difference between the two cultures. Americans tend to focus on what they don’t have and they always want the next best thing.

Kulfan discovered that it’s a lot different in Haiti. They focus on family and what they already have, they’re joyful and happy with just that. “I feel like [the people of Haiti] influenced me more than I influenced them. They had such a positive impact on my life,” Kulfan said.

The Kuflan family in Washington DC while volunteering for the community on one of their mission trips. Although they have done extended trips in Haiti, they also spent time volunteering in other areas. Photo courtesy of Kulfan Family

Haiti was by far the longest mission trip for Kulfan, at about a year and six months. She has participated in other missions trips through programs such as Starfysh and Adventures in Missions where she gave to the homeless, making small gift bags with socks, hygiene products, and healthy food. She also helped to clean the streets of trash in cities like Washington DC, Chicago, and Grand Rapids.

Through all of this, Kulfan has learned that while she might not have everything she could want, she should still be thankful for her family and that her needs are met.

 

 



Chain Reaction: Peddling toward success




Ballor poses at one of the Bike Safety Rodeos. Ballor rebooted this program after ten years of it being discontinued. Photo courtesy of Casey Ballor.

After 12 years of boy scouts, sophomore Casey Ballor’s Eagle Scout project was finally upon him, his chance to show his leadership skills. With no idea what to do, he did what most kids would: he googled it.

After surfing the web for a while, Ballor stumbled upon the Bike Safety Rodeo program. It had been shut down for about 10 years and Ballor knew it was the perfect project to reboot.

“I’m not really sure why they stopped running the program but I thought it would be nice to revive it again,” Ballor said.

With the help from Kent County Officer Mandy Trevino, Ballor began his work to restart the program, while earning his Eagle badge.

Kids ride bikes in a parking lot safety simulation. Bike safety is very important, and children will greatly benefit learning at a young age. Photo credit Victoria Ballor.

After four months of teamwork between Trevino, Ballor, other boy scouts and the local community, the program was officially revived. On May 5, Grand Rapids had one of its first Bike Safety Rodeos in 10 years at the Plainfield Township Offices in Belmont.

“This program is an important way to teach young riders where to ride, to be safe, to be seen and how to wear their helmet properly,” Trevino said.  

During the event, there was a real-life simulation set up in the back parking lot of the Plainfield offices for students to learn in a safe environment. Community police and firefighters showed up as well.

“The crime prevention association of Michigan gave us a $250 grant to fund the Bike Safety Program,” Ballor said.

Some of the grant money was used for a small snack area for participants and to buy two bikes and helmets to raffle off. The Plainfield rodeo was a success and kids went home with not only the knowledge of bike safety but also with a sense of newfound freedom on their set of wheels.

The next event will be held in Algoma township toward the end of July.

“We are seeing a demand for Safety Rodeos again due to seeing bike lanes in our roadways and bike paths all throughout our community. This makes it a perfect time to bring back more Bike Rodeos,” Trevino said.



Chain Reaction: Mikaila Moore makes a difference




Valentine’s day is supposed to be a day filled with love and happiness. But that day, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was filled with pain and fear after a shooter walked into the building, killing 17.

Over 1,000 miles away from Parkland, Florida, sophomore Mikaila Moore heard about the tragedy and wanted to help.

Janeen Harlow poses with Moore’s design displayed. She wore the shirt on March 14, the day of the national walkout.

“[I thought that] it was outrageous and unacceptable that this is happening again,” Moore said. “[I want to] help people and make up for the mistakes of others.”

The first idea to pop into her head was to make t-shirts and donate the profits to the school. Moore’s parents have their own screen printing shop called Rockford Inks, which she used to her advantage.

“They’ve said many times before that if you have any organized groups that you have that want shirts done, we’ll do it for you,” Moore said.

Moore and her parents sat down to discuss the design. She shared her sample idea with her stepmom, a graphic designer, who made some changes. Moore loved the professional looking design, so they went with it.

Over 20 shirts sold between February 26 and March 5, totaling $140 in donations.

Moore will have shirts available again later this month to be distributed in time for the March for Our Lives event, taking place on March 24.

Moore plans on sending all of the money to Parkland after the second sale ends.

She turned the pain she felt for the victims and their families into motivation to help them and to speak up. 

 



Chain Reaction: Rademaker reaches hearts




Before last August, junior Heaven Rademaker had never been outside the country. That changed when she traveled to the Dominican Republic and experienced the joy of impacting children’s lives in a third world country.

Reademaker’s youth group supports GoMinistries, an organization with six churches in the Dominican Republic. Her youth group landed at one of those locations with the challenge of making a difference.

Their task was to paint a local school, which initially sounded mundane to Rademaker, but they tackled it with all they had.

Rademaker with one of the children she played  with throughout the trip. Putting smiles on their faces was enough to make her want to go back.

“It was supposed to take us five days and it ended up only taking two even though we painted a whole school inside and out. Classrooms, hallways, ceilings, we did it all,” Rademaker said.

The time they had leftover was in no way wasted and was spent with children around the town.

Rademaker noted that most children on the streets don’t have homes or an orphanage to seek shelter in and are often on their own. “So we went to some churches where some kids were, played games and kickball, brought chalk and colored on the streets.” Rademaker said.

Interacting with the kids was the most valuable part of Rademakers’ trip. Her clearest memory involved a silent, sulking 3-year-old boy.

“I am a kid magnet, I love them and they love me, but there was this little boy who just did not like me,” Rademaker said. “I was determined to make him like me though, so I had a fanny pack and pulled out my fruit snacks (the kind with the jelly in the middle) and he bit into it and instantly made a funny face followed by a smile.”

That was when she knew she reached his heart and it was more than enough for her.

Another take away from the trip was learning that Rademaker wanted to pursue Spanish due to its benefits such as communicating with more people and the ability to form deeper connections through the language.

“I went to the Dominican Republic to change lives, or make an impact or at least touch hearts,” Rademaker said. “But little did I know I’d have my heart touched as well.”



Chain Reaction: Madison Sova connects on the court

Sova with her Special Olympics basketball team.

Five years ago, senior Madison Sova was asked by her grandpa, coach of a Special Olympics basketball team, to be his assistant coach.

Special Olympics is an organization where individuals of all ages with intellectual disabilities are able to participate in sports as athletes, highlighting their abilities, rather than their disabilities.

As assistant coach to a Special Olympics basketball team, Sova worked with a team of adult basketball players in the organization.

“I thought it would be weird,” Sova said. “I never really had experience with people with special needs, so I didn’t know what to expect.”

Regardless, she agreed to volunteer, expecting to be an assistant coach for only one season.

Sova created connections with the team members, both on the court and off. She quickly fell in love with the contagious, positive energy of her team.

Sova and her 2017 team in a huddle, instructing the players as assistant coach. In the upcoming season, she will step up into a head coaching position.

Unable to resist the opportunity to create even more connections, Sova decided continue assistant coaching for a second season for the Special Olympics team.

The experience of working with people with mental disabilities, people who are traditionally seen as outsiders, has greatly impacted Sova.

“I learned how to respect people more,” Sova said, commenting that the respect she gained for others was one of the most valuable and lasting things the season gave her.

Sova discovered a newfound passion for the people that she was working with by the end of her second season.

She now has five seasons of assistant coaching under her belt and anticipates becoming a head coach for the first time in January 2018.

Sova’s work through Special Olympics has affected many people with disabilities in big ways, but she’s not going to stop there.

“I decided to make a career out of it,” Sova said. “After the second year, I knew that I wanted to go into teaching special education.”

Despite entering the season unsure of what to expect, coaching for Special Olympics basketball has changed Sova’s life.

Chain Reaction: Caitlin Dahlin feeds bellies

Caitlin Dahlin creates lifelong bonds with the children she meets on her mission trips. Photo Credit Julie Braun

Imagine being locked in a school building, behind metal security doors, with no power, no swept floors, and no means of protection. In the small town of Esquinela, Guatemala, there aren’t any signs of modern American life.

Yet, within the building, local children dance in the dark with foreigners who come from hundreds of miles away. Together they sing, they laugh, they pray, and they cry.

This was how senior Caitlin Dahlin spent her 2017 summer. Along with her church, she traveled to Esquinela on a mission trip to help build roads, buildings and bridges.  

“It’s a town where there’s no electricity, we had to have a police escort just to get in because it’s so dangerous,” Dahlin said.

But the danger never stopped her from wanting to help those less fortunate than her. This last mission trip to Guatemala was the second she has participated in; but Dahlin has done more than build up small towns.

“A lot of what we’re doing is loving on children that don’t get loved on at home and feeding bellies,” Dahlin said.

Caitlin Dahlin makes a difference in the lives of many. Photo Credit Julie Braun

She doesn’t have to leave the country to make a difference either.

Dahlin volunteers in Grand Rapids between two and five hours each week. Much of her volunteering consists of helping tutor children in English at the Refugee Education Center, but she also keeps her eyes open for opportunities through her church and the National Honor Society.

“I’ve really been an outlet for a lot of kids,” Dahlin said about working with local children.

And she’s not stopping there. Dahlin has plans for the future, including volunteering through World Mission, and a mission trip to Haiti over spring break. She is also heading to Australia in July in order to obtain her Primary Healthcare Certificate. Dahlin will then put her training to good use in Papua New Guinea, giving basic medical care to the many people who need it.

While in Australia and Papua New Guinea, Dahlin won’t see her friends or family for a whole year.

“I know that this is what I want to do. I’m ready,” Dahlin said. If everything goes her way, she plans to eventually become a PA and live outside of the US, bringing care to third world countries.

“You’re never too important to help people,” Dahlin said. “If you knew me freshman year, I was not the best person, and [the children I’ve worked with have] definitely softened my heart.” This is exactly why, even while working a part time job, and taking some of the most difficult classes in the school, Dahlin always puts her maximum amount of effort into her volunteering.

“Always remember that just 30 minutes can really help someone,” Dahlin said.  

How Yellowstone changed me

During the first week, my group installed check dams, which prevent hiking trails from eroding.

My life changed in one month. A month filled with caring for the environment, meeting new people, and challenging myself in ways I have never been challenged before. Unlike a lot of my friend’s first jobs, mine was spent in Yellowstone National Park, 1529.6 miles from home, as an enrollee of the Youth Conservation Corps. Going into this job, I thought I was going to help preserve the environment, little did I know it would significantly change me as well.

 

The first of many challenges started June 11 at 7am in the morning, when I board my first flight alone. I had to figure out things by myself, which I have done before, but seems much scarier when a simple mistake, like not having the right gate to your flight, could cause so many problems. Worried about my next connections,  I spent my first flight watching the screen displaying the progress of the airplane. Every centimeter it moved on that tiny screen on the back of the seat in front of me, I witnessed. I was met a lot of new faces once I reached the Youth Conservation Corps campus, where I would be staying for the next month. At first I was hesitant to meet so many strangers. But I soon started bonding with a lot of people from all over the country.

 

We were often put in situations where we had to talk to public about Yellowstone. In this picture, Haveman talked to a woman about many different aspects of the National Park for over an hour.

The next couple weeks moved fast as the staff threw us into training and then into our first official work week. I learned a great deal about myself in the time I spent in Yellowstone. Most of the work we did was physically demanding. I swung a lot of axes, peeled bark off of a lot of logs, hauled a lot of heavy dirt bags, and dirtied a lot of work shirts. It taught me that not only am I physically stronger than I thought, but mentally as well. I had to endure a collection of hot and sweaty work days, never allowing the heat to impact my attitude towards the others in my work group. I started showing leadership: not waiting for someone to tell me what to do, I would tackle the task immediately as it presented itself. If a coworker was struggling with carrying a log, I would help. If someone needed to hike back a mile to grab a tarp, I would volunteer. No longer was I a girl who was afraid of losing my seat in an airport to go get food, afraid to make a wrong decision leading to more issues. I was now someone who confidently completed tasks, and when I made a blunder, I recovered and learned from my mistakes.

 

My experience at Yellowstone working for the Youth Conservation Corps allowed me learn about myself and the environment around me. I learned how to be a leader and let my walls down to meet new people, with whom I still keep in contact months after the program ended.