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Local kids learn through giving

Enid News & Eagle - 7/18/2020

Jul. 18--Kids may learn in the classroom, but they also can learn through giving.

That is what Gini Zaloudek hopes to do with the WildHorse Gang of Kremlin.

"Our mission is volunteerism, giving back to the community and always being ready to help wherever we are needed," Zaloudek said.

Friday, the WildHorse Gang donated aluminum cans from its can round-up in Kremlin to 4RKids in Enid.

4RKids job coach Kevin Williams said the cans are used to help create jobs for people with disabilities.

"(Our clients) crush them and take the tabs of to give to another organization," Williams said. "Then, we separate the cans, crushed and not crushed. The crushed cans will go into recycling, and that gets funneled back into the organization to help pay and create more jobs."

Williams said 4RKids does "literally everything" in order to help people with disabilities find work.

Work 4RKids does includes shredding HIPPA papers, cardboard recycling, help with the food bank and more. The organization does so much it has outgrown its currently building and is in the process of building a new one.

"We are making a whole new building for more jobs for people like me," Williams said.

The WildHorse Gang has done the aluminum can round-up for nearly 26 years, but ran out of space to store the cans.

"We decided that we would forward the cans to someone who did need them," Zaloudek said. "Coming here and doing this, these kids learn how blessed they are to be able to go and do these kinds of things."

Zaloudek said when the WildHorse Gang began almost 28 years ago kids in Kremlin were getting into trouble. She wanted to be an agent of change as a volunteer.

Currently, the WildHorse Gang has about 15 kids in the program from Kremlin and Enid. The kids say they learn a lot of social and leadership skills through the program.

The kids also learn about their country, faith and liberty. Each monthly meeting begins with a presentation of the American and Oklahoma flags, followed by the pledge of allegiance, the Oklahoma pledge, recitation of the Ten Commandments and the Lord's Prayer.

The WildHorse Gang volunteers at several events in Enid, including the Integris Bass Baptist Health Center Christmas dinner and being ushers for Enid Symphony Orchestra performances.

"I teach (the kids) to be very social," Zaloudek said. "A lot of kids come in and they are very shy, but by the time I get through with them, they can go out and ask people for (donations) and not be afraid to ask."

4RKids will host a mini golf tournament July 25, in honor of Sam Justice, from noon to 6 p.m. They will have a garage sale, Crazy Days Sales, a carnival with a bouncy house, a silent auction and a mini golf tournament. The tournament will be $5 per person or $20 for a team.

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(c)2020 the Enid News & Eagle (Enid, Okla.)

Visit the Enid News & Eagle (Enid, Okla.) at www.enidnews.com

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