By Jeff Kenney Citizen editor
By any estimation, it’s safe to say the Culver Elementary School sixth graders’ “Soup for the Soul” event was a smashing success. That’s certainly true financially, says sixth grade teacher Missy Trent, who with CES art teacher Joyce Lyman conceived the event as a service project for her students earlier this fall. Her ideal fundraising goal for the Nov. 20 soup supper, held at the CES cafeteria, was $1,000. At final count, the project raised $1,500 for the Plymouth-based women’s shelter Heminger House.

Just as successful, however, was the other goal of the effort: involving students in their community in a positive way and increasing their awareness of the needs of others, and their capacity to serve. Further, the community at large became a part of the story. Trent and Lyman say the flow of people attending the three-hour supper was constant.
“This was standing room only,” Lyman says. “There was a slew of (people here). The chief of police came, and the EMTs – it was that whole community thing. I was nervous. I thought I’d be sitting here with this soup and all these bowls!”
The bowls themselves were made by students and teachers, all 140 of them. Students began in art class last month, crafting bowls, cups, mugs, toothpick holders, and accessories out of clay. That multi-week labor was followed by students Nov. 20 gathering around 2:30 p.m. and working on after the 7:30 p.m. close of the event. As it turns out, Lyman’s fears of being left holding the bowl, so to speak, were unfounded.
“Almost everybody donated something,” she notes. “It was a wonderful turnout.”
“I was afraid we’d run out of soup!” adds Trent. “Lots of people bought bowls and donated them back to the (sale) table. Our cafeteria workers, bless them, have stayed here all evening serving and washing dishes. (Cafeteria director) Carin Clifton got soup from the distributor so she could donate some for the project.”
A number of area restaurants donated multiple pots and pans of soup and other goodies, while some businesses donated items for the evening’s raffle.
Trent contacted one South Bend TV station to come cover the event, and in response to an uncertain reply as to whether a crew could come down, “I said, ‘Listen, our kids have worked hard on this, but we also have some of the best restaurants around!’ So he said, ‘You’ve convinced me.’ And, I’m sending soup back to (WNDU news anchor) Tricia Sloma tonight!”
The goal of giving to Heminger House was meaningful to attendee Nicole Artist, whose daughter, sixth grader Constancia Pena was a participant in the event. “At one point,” says Artist, “(She and I) were in a shelter, so she can relate to it. And I think it’s really good for the kids. It gets them to meet people and do something good for the community. She was excited about everybody making their own bowl to sell. She was like, ‘Mom, we’ve got to do this because it helps people.’”
Constancia herself, pausing for a moment from busily serving guests, says the work “feels like a real job.”
The students, whose work besides setup and cleanup included washing dishes, acting as waiters and waitresses, and going from table to table offering bread and refills, also received high praise.
“These kids are sweet and polite,” says Lyman.
“You can’t say enough about them,” agrees Trent. “They have done over 100 percent.”
Laurie Boine, whose granddaughter Abbi Atkins was serving, adds the students “are very pleasant and helpful,” and, says Abbi’s mother Dorothy Beauchamp, “they’re really on top of things.”
With several inches of snow falling outside, it was, notes sixth grader Haley Klimaszewski, “a good night for soup.” Haley’s mom, Lori (dining with dad Lou and brother Cody), says Haley was “pretty excited about this. And I really didn’t expect it to be this big. I was overwhelmed when I pulled up and saw all the people here, and then stood in line for a while. It’s good food and good people.”
Sixth grader Janele VandePutte was also surprised at the huge turnout. “I expected a few at a time, but not this many.”
“It was pretty cool to be on TV,” she admits, and even though she’s had few breaks throughout the evening, she says, “It’s fun. Your friends are here, and you get to meet up with them and work together.”
Lyman, who says she “just (doesn’t) have a complaint” about the evening, adds thanks to Julie Cowan, another partner in planning and executing the event, and the host of high school teachers who also attended and took part. Trent, who says a representative of Heminger House attended and thanked her personally, praises the aid of the CES staff and the students’ parents, besides her own mother, who went virtually door-to-door in Knox soliciting donations for the raffle.
Dorothy Beauchamp sums up the feelings of most everyone involved. “It’s a very good idea. It’s a good thing for the kids.”