Two juniors are impacting the lives of others through their work at the local non-profit On-The-Rise (OTR), a uniquely structured farm program helping under-served youth ages 10 to 18 in the Springfield area to learn important life skills.
Carter Bluvol and Trace Ford, both class of 2025, were introduced to the program in the fall of their freshmen year when Amy McGuffey, associate professor of education and department chair, took her First Year Seminar (FYS) class out to visit the farm. The duo ended up completing their service requirement through the program, and then were hired on part-time to continue making a positive impact on the youth at the farm.
OTR strives to help at-risk youth from the greater Springfield area develop into well-rounded citizens by teaching life skills, social skills, and employable skills while providing unconditional positive regard and assisting students as they work to apply these skills to their everyday lives. With the mission of providing real-life, experimental learning opportunities year-round to instill responsibility, work ethic, social growth, sustainable living, respect, teamwork, and accountability Bluvol and Ford were an easy fit.
Bluvol, a history major pursuing a minor in education, is from Westerville, Ohio. He came to Wittenberg to play football, but, after a series of injuries, he had to step away from the field. He is currently part of the Education Department’s Student Advisory Board.
“On-The-Rise is an amazing program,” Bluvol said. “After spending some time there through my FYS class, I later decided to do my community service there the next spring. Then, over the summer, I was asked to come on board as part-time staff to help out and teach the Gentlemen For Life program to the boys at On-The-Rise. My time at On-The-Rise has been incredible. Everyone involved is absolutely amazing, and it's nice to get to work with local youth to help me better prepare to become a teacher once I graduate.
“I really enjoy getting to spend time with the kids,” he added. “All of them have been through so much hardship in their lives and to see them with a smile on their face and eager to learn is amazing. I also really enjoy that every day after we finish our chores, we all play a little backyard football.”
Ford, from Newark, Ohio, is also a history major pursuing an education minor and working at OTR has provided him the skills to be a successful teacher in the classroom upon graduating from college. He also came to Wittenberg to play football, but after two back surgeries, he too, had to step away from the gridiron.
“On-the-Rise is a place for kids to get away from their problems, while also learning important life lessons and skills for the future,” Ford said. “The kids also get to work with and raise animals. We help them out with chores on the farm, make sure they respect each other, and are actively helping one another. We also stand in as a role model figure for them because not a lot of these kids have that kind of figure in their lives. With my intention of going into teaching, this experience has helped me a lot. You learn things you might not see in classrooms from kids. The experience has increased my intentions to help and teach kids.”
OTR director Debbie McCullough raves about Bluvol and Ford and offered them a chance to work part-time for her through the Gentleman For Life program.
“They have been wonderful,” McCullough said. “They were really understanding of what we are trying to accomplish at On-The-Rise and so after they completed their service, I asked them if they wanted to meet us on a field trip to the zoo since they both lived nearby. We talked about the Gentlemen For Life program and they told me they were interested in continuing to volunteer, so I made the deal even sweeter by offering them a part-time position to help out with the program. Creating and teaching this new program seemed like a good fit for the two of them, especially with them both going into teaching in the future.”
The Gentlemen For Life program teaches young boys about basic characteristics and rules as to what it takes to be a gentleman. It is based on a book by Richard Quisenberry, a life coach and friend of McCullough’s.
“I had Richard to come in and lead them on the direction of the program,” McCullough added. “Then the two took it from there and the boys love it. It’s been really good having them here. They’ve shown dedication and strength of young men and they have been a positive role model, which is what many of our kids need in their lives.”
Bluvol and Ford loved the idea of helping with the program and agreed that it was needed at the farm. They work with the program on Mondays and Wednesdays.
“We were planning to make trips back to the farm this school year even after our community service hours were done, and Mrs. Deb wanted to hire us to be part-time with the boy’s program and we happily accepted,” Ford said. “We teach them about trust, responsibility, patience, how to treat elders and women, thankfulness, giving back, lending a helping hand, chivalry, and how to dress themselves and tie their ties. We are continuing the program even after we made it through all the lessons and activities that were suggested, and the kids seem to love it. A few of my favorite parts have been working with the Gentlemen For Life program. We’ve gone camping and done a lot of different activities with the kids.”
“We talked for a little bit on the background and reasons for the program, but we were mostly given free rein to lead how we saw fit,” Bluvol said. “We followed the “manual” that was given to us for the first few sessions, but we would soon start basing our lessons on what we noticed that day. For example, one day the boys were super unfocused and not listening to anyone and so that day we talked about listening and respect.”
Both students feel that their Witt experience wouldn’t be complete without the lessons and skills they’ve learned through On-the-Rise.
“Experiences like On-the-Rise are rare to come by and have truly been a blessing for me. It prepares me professionally for my career as well as developing my skills of working with kids from all sorts of backgrounds,” Ford said. “So far, all my experiences have been positive at Wittenberg. I have a great friend group and other relationships on campus, and it makes life here so much easier. I feel the person that I have become of late is truly shaped by my time being here at Wittenberg and I couldn’t ask for anything more.
“My career goal is to eventually get my masters, whether that’s after graduating or a few years down the road,” he added. “I plan to teach high school history as well as become a football coach. I’d like to finish off by saying I am thankful to Mrs. Deb for this opportunity that she has given me, as well as to Wittenberg. I am also thankful to Carter for also being there every step of the way, working side by side with each other has been a blast.”
Bluvol has similar career aspirations.
“My experience at Wittenberg and at On-The -Rise has been great so far,” Bluvol said. “Looking back, I have really grown and matured since my freshman year. I think that my time management skills have changed because of having to balance all my classwork, going to the gym, extracurriculars, even eating, and getting enough sleep. I think these time management skills as well as the new wealth of knowledge I am learning in my classes will all better prepare me for the day that I am teaching in my own classroom.
“My future goals are to become a history teacher and to also coach football,” Bluvol added. “My time with the education department has been excellent in preparing me to teach the content that I want to teach, and the history department has deepened my knowledge and understanding of history to be able to give my future students the best historical knowledge possible.”
