A gift of kindness for Port, birds

COLORFUL BIRDHOUSES IN several Port Washington parks, including Rotary Park, were created as a community service project by members of a social and life skills group offered by Harrington Development Services of Grafton, including (from left) Jen Wilke, who helped steady Sol Weingrod, Sarah Gosse and Erica Geurts. The group donated the houses to the Port Parks and Recreation Department. Photos by Sam Arendt
A flock of brightly decorated birdhouses are providing shelter for feathered friends in several Port Washington parks.
The colorful birdhouses have caught the eyes of people wandering through the parks, Jon Crain, the city forester, said.
“We have received many compliments from residents inquiring about them,” Crain said. “They bring color and each have their own unique design.”
The birdhouses also “really help tie our pollinator gardens together,” he added.
The birdhouses were donated to the city by a group of young adults who are members of a social and life skills group that meets through Harrigan Development Services in Grafton.
The group, which is comprised of young people who range in age from the mid to late 20s, have challenges with communication and social skills and live throughout southeastern Wisconsin, does a community service project for each 10 to 12-week session.
The project helps the participants develop decision making, problem solving and communication skills, Susie Heitman, an occupational therapist who works with the group, said.
“This year, their primary focus was on kindness, finding ways they could bring kindness to the community,” she said, noting the pandemic really illustrated the need for kindness for the group this year. “It was really precious.”
The group debated whether to make birdhouses or painted rocks and ultimately decided to do both, Heitman said.
“There’s a lot of creativity in the group,” she said. “They’re all bright and have many, many gifts.”
Their past projects have been equally creative, Heitman said, noting a couple years ago they made placemats for a homeless meals program.
“They did a magnificent job,” she said. “They wrote an affirmation on each one.”
And they were told that many of those dining at the meal program chose not to use them as placemats but instead took them to wherever they were staying at the moment to use as artwork, Heitman said.
This year, because of the pandemic, the group met online, but that didn’t stop the participants from crafting their project together, she said.
Heitman dropped off the materials at members’ homes and they painted the houses and rocks during their online sessions each Monday night.
The group, she noted, recently began meeting in person again.
“Zoom was good, but there’s nothing like us being together,” Heitman said.
The pine birdhouses were made by Derek Geurts, whose daughter Erica is part of the group.
“I’ve been working from home since last February, and I was going a little stir crazy,” he said. “Erica’s group is always looking for projects, and it was kind of fun to do this.”
The group, he said, has “really helped her come out of her shell.”
“These young adults needed some extra help socializing. Watching them grow from young adults who didn’t want to talk to seeing them present their own materials and ideas has been fantastic. You can just see the self-esteem in them.” The group members donated the seven birdhouses they made to the City of Port Washington because one of the staff members working with them knew Crain, Heitman said.
The group members, she added, are thrilled that they provided a home for the birds and a way to enhance the parks.
“They’re charming,” Heitman said. “The birdhouses are what you see, but what is behind them is something you can hardly put into words —they gave of their time and energy.”
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Wisconsin’s largest paid circulation community weekly newspaper. Serving Port Washington, Saukville, Grafton, Fredonia, Belgium, as well as Ozaukee County government. Locally owned and printed in Port Washington, Wisconsin.
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