Editor's Note: Spring Initiative's Bianca Zaharescu and Anja Thiessen were named the 2021 VOLUNTEERS OF THE YEAR in the Clarksdale Press Register, "Best Of Clarksdale" balloting taken last month.
Bianca Zaharescu and Anja Thiessen founded Spring Initiative in Clarksdale nearly 10 years ago.
Spring Initiative, a non-profit organization, is an after school program that helps children who, for one reason or another, have not been living out their full potential. The program works with public schools and has a prime focus on the Coahoma County area.
Thiessen and Zaharescu met in 2006 as both had come to Coahoma County for Habitat for Humanity and other service projects.
Thiessen is from Bensheim, Germany but was in a high school exchange program in Urbana, Ill., when she came first came to Jonestown in 2001. Zaharescu, who was also in Urbana, Ill., came through Habitat for Humanity with her high school in 2006.
Thiessen also volunteered at Sherard Elementary School from 2003-04, while Zaharescu volunteered there from 2007-08.
Through it all, the two became friends and planned to build a life in Coahoma County as they did other things. They continued to spend time in the area until they made Coahoma County a permanent home in 2011. Spring Initiative was founded in August 2011.
Spring Initiative’s four goals are for students to be successful in school, foster emotional stability and strong relational skills, invest in a healthy lifestyle and pursue a successful college education.
Fifteen years after meeting, becoming friends and partnering to make Spring Initiative a success, Thiessen and Zaharescu were recognized together as Clarksdale’s Best volunteers of the year. They showed their gratitude toward those who helped make Spring Initiative success by dedicating the award to volunteers who have helped them.
"Anja and I would like to express our gratitude to the many volunteers that have kept Spring Initiative alive, growing, and thriving over the last 10 years,” Zaharescu said. “Anja and I receive a monthly salary and therefore would like to dedicate this award to all of the amazing volunteers that have committed their time, effort, and resources to the daily work of Spring over the years.”
Zaharescu said 75 voluneers have been an integral part of this journey through the years.
“Their investment has meant the world to the Spring students and staff over time, and to the success of our organization,” Zaharescu said. “Thank you to every single one of our incredible Spring volunteers!"
Things did not come together overnight as Spring Initiative grew over time.
Zaharescu said Spring Initiative started as a small daily after school program for 12 middle school students. Now, the Spring Initiative family has 64 elementary, middle and high school students, and 11 students in College Spring Initiative.
“We are very proud of the incredible perseverance, strength, creativity and resilience that both our staff and students have shown throughout the many challenges of this last year,” Zaharescu said.
Thiessen and Zaharescu appreciated the community’s recognition for their hard work.
“Over the years, so many people throughout the Clarksdale and Coahoma County communities have played a huge role in supporting Spring with their time, resources, conviction, and confidence,” Zaharescu said. “In the Spring students, staff, leadership, and overall vision. We deeply appreciate people’s trust in Spring and recognition of the daily work that is taking place.
The COVID pandemic made things tougher for Spring Initiative.
While the in-person meetings were not the same, Thiessen and Zaharescu continued to work with the children the past year.
“So many individuals, foundations, and other entities stepped up in incredible ways to provide the level of generous support necessary for Spring to be able to continue engaging students in daily modified programming throughout the entirety of the pandemic,” Zaharescu said.
Spring Initiative began meeting in-person last week, but safety precautions are still being taken.
“This week is our first week back to group in person programming, which we are conducting primarily outdoors and with significant safety precautions,” Zaharescu said. “After a full year of virtual daily group program (paired with individual in-person outdoor check-ins and drop offs of materials) it feels incredibly special to get to reconnect in person as a full cohort group.”
Zaharescu said as Spring Initiative transitions forward out of the reality of the pandemic, plans are to continue adding a new after school cohort. Each one will have two full-time staff and 16 students at the start of each academic year.
More information about Spring Initiative can be found on its website https://www.spring-initiative.org/ and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SpringInitiative.
