Rancho Cotate High students build furniture for at-risk young adults

In a large room on the east side of campus, Rancho Cotate High School wood shop students have spent the past four months sawing, sanding and assembling armoires.

These large furniture pieces won't be going home with their makers, though. They'll be used to store clothing, shoes and other belongings for the 18- to 24-year-olds moving into Social Advocates for Youth's Dream Center, a new Santa Rosa housing facility for at-risk young adults.

“You know it's going to somebody who needs it,” said Tyler Van Guilder, a junior and advanced wood shop student.

He and about two dozen other classmates already built 10 armoires, which were delivered last month to the center. The wood shop students now are working on the next set of 10 wardrobes, using maple plywood for the interior and solid maple wood for the trim. The armoires include an exterior hook for a guitar or skateboard.

“It feels good to do something of nice quality,” said Evan Weise, a 16-year-old junior, adding that they are putting in a lot of time and effort into the furniture.

Teacher Bill Hartman said the students plan to build a total of 60 armoires for the young people staying at the center, which opened about a month ago.

The first four residents moved into the center in early January, weeks after construction was completed and staff moved into their new offices on the northern side of the facility.

By the end of the year, they expect to have 40 adolescents living there, SAY communications manager Caitlin Childs said. Officials plan to eventually offer 63 short- and long-term units for 18- to 24-year-olds previously in foster care or at risk of homelessness.

Hartman surveyed his students last year, asking them what they hoped to do differently in the class, compared to previous years in which students made projects to take home. They all wanted to tackle a service project, he said.

“They want to make a difference,” said Hartman, who toured the Dream Center in the summer while it was under construction.

When he approached SAY officials about what they needed, he expected to hear they needed a “couple of coffee tables,” not five dozen armoires, Hartman teased.

“We like to dream big,” Childs said while on a recent visit to Hartman's wood shop class. “It's kind of our thing.”

Not only did the students help design the wardrobes, creating several prototypes before selecting the final design, they also helped launch a fundraiser to buy the wood and supplies necessary to build the furniture. They teamed up with video production students to create a short film to post on the crowdfunding site, IndieGoGo, where they raised nearly $3,700 in two months to pay for supplies.

“This is the first time we've done anything like this,” said Brianna Phy, a 17-year-old senior who has taken wood shop for the past three years.

She and her classmates spend time every day working on the pieces. They often come in on their lunch break to work on them, too, she said. Phy said the project means a lot to her because her aunt received services at SAY.

“It's more important to help out with this than whatever else we're doing.” said classmate Jaden Beasley, 15, a sophomore.

Childs said the wood shop students are sending the youth at the center the strong message “that they are cared for by other teens and peers their age.”

The facility faced fierce opposition from some neighbors who feared it would bring troubled youth into their neighborhood. SAY officials scaled back the project and enacted a number of measures to address residents' concerns, but residents challenged the project. They filed a lawsuit in Sonoma County Superior Court in 2014, claiming the city failed to fully study the impact the project would have on noise and traffic.

The suit was dismissed last January, but residents later filed an appeal. The case is before the 1st District Court of Appeal.

SAY officials declined to comment on the appeal, saying it's against their policy to speak about ongoing litigation.

Despite the pending suit, the wood shop students are moving ahead with the construction of the armoires. Hartman said they need a total of $6,000 to cover the cost to build all 60. His first-year wood shop students made cutting boards from maple, cherry and walnut wood to offer as a gift to anyone who donates at least $60.

To learn more about the project or donate, visit indiegogo.com/projects/teens-building-for-teens.

You can reach Staff Writer Eloísa Ruano González at 521-5458 or eloisa.gonzalez@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @eloisanews.