STUART — At South Fork High, seniors in the IB program must complete 20 service hours towards an area initiative. Sam Johnson and Nathan Welmaker, graduates of the Class of 2020, reached out to The Salvation Army’s local corps officer, Captain Jeff Marquis, to collaborate. Sam and Nathan learned that Compassion House, the Army’s homeless shelter for women and children, had a nearly unusable playground for half of the year due to the Florida heat. After brainstorming solutions, they decided to raise money for a sail shade to cover the playground, allowing the kids to play outside.

Sam and Nathan began reaching out to local area businesses when Steve Hartung, owner of Sail Shade Structures Contracting Inc. in Palm City, expressed interest. Hartung was thrilled to work with the two young men to benefit Compassion House and gave them a great proposal. Hartung contributed $1000.00 for the cause, leaving Sam and Nathan to raise $6,120.00, which is no small feat.

Sam and Nathan hit the ground running, finding creative ways to share their project with friends, family, and the community. Despite COVID-19 and other setbacks, Sam and Nathan reached their goal. Kim Tolbert, Program Manager for Compassion House, says the new sail shade is a “blessing” and explained, “Transitional living can be especially tough on children, so we do everything we can to make it fun while they’re here.” Thanks to the hard work of Sam Johnson and Nathan Welmaker and the generosity of Steve Hartung, and several other donors, the children at Compassion House now can enjoy the playground all year-round.

For more information about The Salvation Army of Martin, St. Lucie, and Okeechobee Counties and the services they provide to the local community, visit salvationarmyflorida.org/martincounty or call 772-288-1471.