Colton Stegeman steps forward as a leader through community service.
Photo by Ed Gloor
As Senior Colton Stegeman heaved yet another table onto its legs, wiping the sweat off of his forehead after hours of tedious manual labor, the tired worker gazed upon the product of endless weeks of planning, organizing, and leading. But was it all worth it?
“Improving other people’s lives helps improve mine,” said Stegeman, a fervent contributor to community service through his years in Boy Scouts and working for his church, St. John’s Lutheran. “If I make something or do something that I see helps others, it helps me as well. I get the same satisfaction in my life taking care of others as I do myself. I don’t see why anyone would just help themselves in a world like this.”
Since he was in middle school, Stegeman has consistently involved himself in community services and activities, ranging from managing his youth group room to conducting a massive community barbeque – costing over $10,000 dollars – the funds for which he raised by himself.
For his church, Stegeman has provided a multitude of services that have helped him grow in confidence and develop leadership abilities. “Where do I begin; I do a lot,” said Stegeman. “I manage the lights and sound in the youth room during services, I used my church with my Eagle project; I’ve definitely given my share into the church.”
Stegeman also finds numerous opportunities to help others through his participation in Boy Scouts of America, primarily with work for the Salvation Army. “[I and other boy scouts] did a ton of service for the organization,” said Stegeman. “We built a lot of tables for a while, because during the holidays they need to sort out a bunch of canned food and make an assembly line, but sometimes they’re really short on sturdy tables. So we make a lot of those, plus help them sort out food, work in the assembly line, and just help set up and clean up the area. We’ve had to sort out about three days worth of food in three hours. Plus, we get to do a lot of manual labor; collect food, unload, and stuff like that, so we get a good workout.”
Ultimately, Stegeman’s vast amount of work for the Boy Scouts led to his Eagle Scout Project, which amounted to over 1,600 hours of organization and preparation to create a community barbeque for his church. “It took me over 1,000 hours of planning, not to mention all the hard labor setting [the barbeque] up,” said Stegeman. “It wasn’t cheap either; it ended up costing $10,000 dollars. I had to raise all of the funds myself; the church didn’t have to pay a penny. I had to sell a lot of items, ask a lot of businesses to donate, and just spend a lot of time gathering money for the project.”
The immense barbeque project involved the work of countless friends and family members of Stegeman, along with a great amount of time planning. According the Stegeman, the actual manual labor of the project was nothing compared to the time spent planning. The community barbeque included construction, cooking, and general organizing, allowing Stegeman to exhibit his kindness and creativity.
According to Stegeman, his proclivity toward helping others truly started around 6th grade. “Middle school was a big transition point for me, and it was a totally new start,” said Stegeman. “When I hit middle school, I had to start learning how to live life on my own, without my parents holding my hand. I had to start thinking for myself, and figure out where my life was going. And from that, community service just came as a side-effect.”
Stegeman’s love for helping others can also be attributed to his family. “My whole family is very involved in community service; it’s not just me,” said Stegeman. “We all do the same thing. That’s what I owe a lot of my mentality to.”
Outside of his personal community, Stegeman also excels in school, finding passion in various classes, such as physics. “My favorite class is physics, mainly because you learn things that you never would have thought of before,” said Stegeman. “It totally blows my mind. One of my favorite facts is that the earth is spinning ridiculously fast, and yet everyone isn’t flying off. I just like thinking out of the box.”
In addition to academics, Stegeman also takes pride in playing sports at TJ; most notably golf and baseball. “I like golf because it’s very relaxing,” said Stegeman. “I get to spend the whole season just playing a sport I love with my friends. Also, you only have to pay a small fee to play for the entire season, so it’s insanely cheap for golf.”
Stegeman shares a similar interest in playing baseball for TJ. “I like baseball because it’s an American sport, and I want to support my country,” laughed Stegeman. “We all just gather on the field every game and try to perform well and have a good time.”
Senior Austin Burwell, a friend and fellow baseball player, acknowledges Stegeman’s influence both on and off the field. “Colton’s a really good motivator. He keeps us all focused, but still likes to have fun,” said Burwell. “He never discriminates against anyone, and he’s always willing to give a helping hand. He’s just there if you need him.”
After participating in his community, his school, and multiple sport teams, Stegeman has gained a significant life philosophy. “I try to include every person in everything I do,” said Stegeman. “I don’t go by social class or how cool their car is. And I gained that mentality by working with community service. When you’re working with the Salvation Army, you really have to accept everybody.”
Not only has helping his fellow man given Stegeman wisdom, but it has also built in strength and confidence as a member of a community. “By doing community service, I’ve gained the skill of being a leader,” said Stegeman. “Not a lot of people see that in me, but if there’s an opportunity to step up, I’m always very qualified to take the lead.”
