On Mondays, a group of children from three to fifteen years old head to Sacramento Pipeworks for the afternoon. Mustard Seed, a free, private school, provides a safe nurturing and structured environment for children who do not attend school because of their homelessness state. The climbing gym provides a great venue for the kids.
“The older kids are having such great experiences that now the younger kids are begging to come too!” said Maedlyn Tomolillo, a fourth/fifth grade teacher at Mustard Seed. “Their self-confidence, willingness to face their fears, and interest in physical fitness has all drastically improved!”
A number of students wrote to Pipeworks about why they enjoyed their gym visits. “I like Pipeworks because it is really fun and there are very nice people there. Plus you get to exercise and you get to learn how to trust people,” said Justin, an eleven year old Mustard Seed student. “We also learn how to be patient and we learn a lot of things so in the future we will know what to do.”
“I like Pipeworks because it is very fun and it is very good exercise,” added Reymundo, a 10 year old student. “We look forward to it every Monday. It helps us do stretches and helps us grow strong bodies and hard bones. We really appreciate you guys for letting us come to Pipeworks every Monday, and letting us climb and boulder. Pipeworks is important to me because I like P.E. and exercise.”
“I like Pipeworks because it helps us overcome our fears and it’s really fun,” said Noah an eleven year old student. “I think it’s important because it helps us stay fit and in good shape. It also makes us build up our muscles and helps us learn to trust the person holding us. It helps us with stretches and makes you think about what rocks you have to climb.”
Mustard Seed provides an excellent place for the kids to grow and their visits to Pipeworks add an element of fun and exercise to the program. “Their faces really light up when they talk about Pipeworks and all they have accomplished there. They even talk about participating in climbing competitions someday,” added Tomolillo.
