Webster U Volunteers Help Youth Nonprofit Reclaim Garden

When college students swap textbooks for shovels, something meaningful happens beyond the cleared weeds and restored gardens.

Eight Webster University volunteers spent Wednesday bringing an overgrown garden back to life at Epworth Children & Family Services in Webster Groves. The nonprofit has served youth and families experiencing homelessness, foster care, and difficult transitions since 1864.

The volunteers cleared thick brush behind a residential building, creating space Epworth plans to use for gardens and recreation. For the students, it was a chance to step outside campus life and discover an organization many didn't know existed in their own community.

"I thought it was just a foster care system, like just these dorms, but there's actually so much more that they do," said senior Megan Meade, who returned for her second year of volunteering.

Epworth provides housing, education, counseling, and meals to help children and families build stability. The organization also runs transitional living programs for young adults aging out of other care systems, continuing support after they turn 18.

"A lot of organizations stop at a certain age," noted student volunteer Rebekah Jimenez. "I think this says a lot about the organization."

The Ripple Effect

Volunteer hours create a multiplier effect at Epworth's five locations. When community members handle maintenance projects, cooking, or organizing donations, staff can focus entirely on working with youth.

"If we have volunteers coming in to cook, our staff are able to really focus on that youth while our volunteers are cooking food," explained Burgundy Bonser, Epworth's director of development.

The organization operates a donation boutique, prepares daily meals, and maintains multiple residential buildings. Each volunteer hour means more direct care for the families Epworth serves.

"We can't do this work alone," said Venita Govan, Epworth's interim CEO. "We rely on volunteers to come in and provide us with their knowledge, their expertise, their want to help."

For Bonser, time matters as much as money. "It's easier to donate money than it is to donate time," she said.

Student volunteer Rebekah Jimenez discovered that getting off campus connects students to real community needs. "I think it's important for students to kind of just get out of their studies and actually put themselves in the community that they're in."

After 160 years of service, Epworth continues evolving to meet changing needs while staying rooted in community support that makes its mission possible.