Youth group tackles mall cleanup
New Covenant volunteers sweep, wash windows
With their large dust mops aligned so that no bit of grime could escape them, Jole Waldschmidt and Eliza McCullough advanced down a corridor of Crossroads Mall Wednesday evening.
Not far away, Leah Fisher, Zoe Mcluckie and Zoey Wacholtz cleaned all the glass in the doors and windows at an entrance to the mall.
The girls were among the members of the New Covenant Christian Church youth group called Five 8 who volunteered to clean the mall.
”I like to work,” said Sylvia Wacholtz, another member of the group. ”I like helping out with people.”
Wacholtz has volunteered in the past for cleanup projects at John F. Kennedy Memorial Park.
Most of the storefronts inside the mall are vacant, and much of the building will eventually be torn down as the site is converted to a multiuse property to be called Corridor Plaza.
The mall remains the site of some activity, however. Many people still exercise by walking laps in its corridors. And it has been the site of major COVID-19 vaccination clinics at which thousands of people have received shots.
Mike and Cindy Mulroney, of Fort Dodge, are among those who walk in the mall.
”Mike and I walk at the mall almost every day,” she said. ”We are seeing the dust bunnies, and the dirt and the accumulation.”
The fact that the mall is a COVID-19 vaccination site makes the dirty conditions seem even worse, she said.
”What person wants to get a shot in a place that’s dirty?” she asked.
The mall now has just one maintenance employee who works hard but still has difficulty keeping up with everything that has to be done in the large building, Cindy Mulroney said.
The Mulroneys suggested having a youth group help.
Some members of the Five 8 group volunteered. The group got its name because it is for fifth through eighth graders.
The volunteers had three tasks Wednesday: sweeping the floors, washing windows and wiping down benches and handrails.
The group consisted of Sylvia Wacholtz, Madison Carmody, Jole Waldschmidt, Eliza McCullough, Gabby Waldschmidt, Zoey Wacholtz, Leah Fisher, Zoe Mcluckie and Layla Nore.
The Mulroneys, the Rev. Dan Altman and Eric Eckerman provided support.