Staff member Carlos Kelly clears dead leaves and branches from under the bushes outside on Western, preparing them for pruning. ” It is important to give your time and energy for a positive cause. Without volunteerism, we are all doing our own thing.,” Kelly said. “To have a positive and supportive community we need to help one another.”

On Apr. 25, 60 volunteers at Topeka High participated in Sharefest, a city-wide volunteer event.
Sharefest is an event where local organizations and other volunteers join together at high schools and other community sites.

Sharefest Topeka has a total of 750 volunteers, with 37 organizations participating every year. The organization serves eight locations, including all three high schools in 501.

Every spring, participants help with landscaping, painting, cleaning, and other hands-on projects, according to Sharefest director Brody Lumpkins.
At Topeka High this year, volunteers painted railings, washed windows, trimmed bushes, and powerwashed all around the building.

Sharefest has been running in Topeka since 2006, after two churches were inspired by a similar effort in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Lumpkins believes that volunteering is important to nurture the places where community members spend their days.

“Volunteering with Sharefest matters because it meets real, visible needs at local schools,” Lumpkins said.

“It helps care for the places where students and staff spend their days and brings people together for something larger than themselves.”

Superintendent Dr. Tiffany Anderson is grateful for the help Sharefest gave on the 25th.
“We’re so thankful for the volunteers that beautify our community and our campus,” Anderson said. “Thanks to all the volunteers, we are truly able to engage, prepare and inspire our students for a long time.”