Trackside Teen Center was alive with the smell of spray paint and the sound of hammers last week during a two-day treehouse building workshop for middle schoolers. The workshop, led by author, blogger, and professional Tiny House builder Derek Diedricksen, sought to give Wilton preteens a hands-on opportunity for a good cause. With training and building on the first day at Trackside, the participating teens finished and installed the treehouse on the second day for a Wilton family with a child in treatment for pediatric cancer, thanks to a partnership with Circle of Care.
Trackside Executive Director Lori Fields is always on the lookout for programs that give Wilton teens opportunities to grow and give back. After being put in touch with Diedricksen through a mutual friend, she knew that his unique skillset could provide just that.
“I want to facilitate teens collaborating with each other, building their abilities, and learning how deeply satisfying service is. Our mission at Trackside is to attach a service element to every teen event that we do,” Fields said.
Diedrickson began the workshop by teaching the basics of using the necessary tools. He explained that he wanted the teens to understand how and why you complete each step. By lunchtime on the first morning, they had covered that lesson as well as learning different spray painting techniques. This was important as their task included not simply assembling the tree house, but decorating it as well.
Will Marley, a 12 year old Middlebrook School student, said that he was interested in joining the workshop because it “seemed like a neat thing to do, plus we’re helping someone.” His friend Gus Stromberg, also 12, decided to join because he was interested in learning how to build a treehouse in case he ever wanted to do so himself in the future.
Diedrickson said that if any of the 20 young participants have a takeaway from the workshop, he hopes it is the desire to make something with their own hands. He calls this a “lost art.”
“If one of these kids leaves here and builds a birdhouse, or a table, that’s a great start. That’s how I began building,” he said.
Diedrickson explained his teaching philosophy and motivation for pursuing this line of work. He operates by the mantra “what could I use this for?” An integral part of his mission is teaching how to fix, reuse and repurpose objects to minimize waste and expense. The majority of the supplies he works with would likely be considered garbage by the average person. This was an important draw for Fields, who described her passion for repurposing objects.
The treehouse was built using miscellaneous supplies that Diedrickson has foraged, combined with lumber donated by Ring’s End and other objects donated by the Wilton community, including pallets and spray paint.
Fields highlighted her gratitude towards Wiltonions for consistently helping to make Trackside events happen.
“Wilton is such a generous community. Anytime we have an ask, people show up.”
In this spirit of giving, the fruits of the teens’ labor will be returned to the Wilton community. Trackside partnered with the Wilton-based Circle of Care that supports families of children with cancer. The organization identified a local family with three young children, one of whom is in treatment for leukemia.
“This is a perfect example of Wilton at its finest. Kids helping kids,” Circle of Care Founder/President Liz Salguero said. “This project not only taught them how to build someting but how to give something to their community and neighbors.”
Salguero said Trackside asked to be matched with a family who could use a boost and she was thrilled to make the connection.
“When a family has a child in treatment, so much of their lives revolve around hospital visits. There is little time left for the simple joys, like climbing a tree or sitting in a treehouse with your friends,” she said.
Salguero reported that the family was overjoyed with the gift.
“Mom and dad were so grateful and overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support they have received from the community,” she said, adding that their son had just come back from a treatment and didn’t feel well enough to come outside while everyone was there but was eagerly peeking out the window to watch.
Salguero, who founded Circle of Care twenty years ago after her own son’s successful fight against cancer, relayed another special detail about the treehouse experience. Two of the Trackside kids working on the treehouse project have siblings with cancer. Salguero watched the installation with their moms.
“We were three [Wilton] ‘cancer moms’ watching the build being done by siblings for another family. It was very moving,” she said.
Fields said that the connections made for everyone at the workshop was incredibly meaningful for all.
“It is a privilege to be in a position to help. This is the definition of a deeply satisfying experience from beginning to end,” Fields said.