By Dee Grenert Editor
CULVER — Culver Community High School and Culver Academies students labored over a name for their joint community service organization.
However, a difficulty arose.
“Everything the students suggested had a name or acronym that was either taken or close to that of another group,” Culver Academies’ Nancy McKinnis, one of the group’s adult sponsors, said. “They wanted something distinctive.”
During the naming brainstorming session, someone strung together the words Culver Youth Community Organization.
According to McKinnis, Culver Community senior Kevin Schuldt first gave voice to the acronym, CYCO, which stuck.
“We did that on purpose,” Culver Community junior Lyndsey Fisher said. “We said, ‘wouldn’t it sound cool if our group was called CYCO?’”
And for a group filled with high-energy, good-humored, intelligent students that Culver Academies senior Jodie Davenport describes as “positively directed ADD,” the acronym fits well, even if it raises a few chuckles.

“I was not present during the naming meeting,” Culver Community junior Ashley Jones said. “One day there was an announcement over the intercom, ‘all CYCO kids, please report to the guidance office.’ (Friend) Kylie (Gunder) laughed all the way down the hall, for five minutes.”
While the name certainly grabs one’s attention, so does CYCO’s work.
Still in its first year, CYCO adopted a needy area family during Christmas and, more recently, ran games at Culver Elementary School’s fun fair benefit for second grader Brendan Walters, who is battling lymphoma.
With the Christmas project, CYCO members dipped into their own wallets, solicited donations from schoolmates and businesses and received assistance from as far away as Dallas, Texas.
“My company, Company C, raised about $70, which is quite a bit of money for us,” John Lewis, a Culver Academies freshman from Washington D.C., said. “My dad’s in the Air Force, so I’ve lived all over the place. We ended up with a business running an auction in Dallas that brought money up for the drive.”
The group then shopped for the children of the large family. Emily Ryman, the second of the Academies’ two adult sponsors, said CYCO spent approximately $50 per child, and set a goal to purchase clothing and at least one toy for each child.
That turned into quite an adventure for Culver Academies sophomore Daniel Ching.
“I was shopping for a little girl, 8 to 10 years old,” the Cary, Ill. native said. “I don’t know too much about that age group. I thought about things Mrs. McKinnis’ daughter might like. It was easier to shop for toys than clothes.”
With the shopping complete, Jones and Fisher played Santa Claus for the family.
“It was awesome to deliver the stuff,” Jones said. “My entire trunk was packed. We got there and the kids came running out. The kids were so cute.”
The group also enjoyed its time interacting with Culver children at the fun fair.
The CYCO members appreciated that Brendan himself attended and spent time playing games at their booths.
“I thought it was great that Brendan showed up,” Culver Community sophomore Myles Pinder, who manned the ring toss with Schuldt, said. “He’s so cute.”
Culver Academies junior Colin Lasko, who joined Jones and schoolmate Jen Putman at a variation of the grand prize game from “The Bozo Show,” said Brendan came through his line several times.
“(Brendan) was so serious,” Lasko said. “He took so much time, measuring up each toss. He was really good. He got four or five of his throws in the buckets a few times.”
While most of the CYCO members supervised games, Davenport and Culver Community adult sponsor Cindy Riester dressed as clowns.
Even though Davenport certainly valued CYCO’s effort, she pointed to classmates of Brendan’s sixth-grade brother, Josh, who provided face painting, as furthering the organization’s goal of enhancing the community.
“It’s an amazing thing to see young children get out to make a difference,” she said. “Our whole group is about suspending disbelief and aborting all preconceptions to make a difference. Everyone is having fun in the process.”