By Khalida Sarwari
When they’re not caring for shelter animals, 14-year-old students Ryan Busse and Holden Duflock are busy picking fruit or putting in work at a local farm alongside their parents at least once a week.
Ryan, a freshman at Saratoga High School, and his counterpart Holden, an eighth-grader at St. Mary’s School in Los Gatos, are members of Boys Team Charity, a national service organization with a brand-new chapter in Saratoga that fosters personal development and community responsibility by promoting the active participation of parents and sons in philanthropic projects in their communities.
“It’s a fabulous group of boys doing good things in our community,” said Presley Troyer, a spokeswoman for the group. “These boys are working at Full Circle Farms, the Saratoga Tree Lighting, Nike Animal Rescue, Turning Wheels, Sacred Heart and other efforts.”
Holden, who joined the group this past summer, spends a few hours a week and sometimes on weekends volunteering with his father, Walt. His favorite charities are Sacred Heart Community Service and Turning Wheels, where he helps assemble bikes and delivers them to people who can’t afford them. He’s also rolled up his sleeves and helped clear a trail at Full Circle Farms, enabling the staff there to easily move equipment and food around.
“I really like the eye-opening experiences you get, because it really shows you how fortunate you are and that it’s really good to help out others who aren’t so fortunate,” the Monte Sereno resident said.
Added his father, “It’s a great time for dads and sons to have some group time while giving back.”
Ryan, a Saratoga resident, said he enjoys volunteering for the Nike Animal Rescue Foundation the most, helping to set up cages for adoption events and taking the dogs for walks occasionally. “We get to work with animals, and it’s really fun,” he said.
On Nov. 27 he also volunteered at the tree lighting and open house event in downtown Saratoga, supervising in the children’s zone.
Ryan’s mother, Lisa Busse, said she enrolled her son in the program this summer as a way to get him more involved in his community.
“I just think it’s very important to give back to the community and to see what’s out there,” she said.
And for Busse, a massage therapist and health coach, volunteering in the community with her son goes hand in hand with what she does for a living.
“I just think it’s wonderful what they’re doing,” said Busse. “It feels great to be part of a team that says, ‘How can I help?’ “
Founded in Arizona more than a decade ago, Boys Team Charity functions much like National Charity League, a group that offers philanthropy opportunities and cultural development for girls. The Saratoga chapter was founded by Debbie Cantelmo and is comprised of seventh- through 12th-grade boys who live in the Saratoga area.
“We chose this boys team charity because the emphasis is on community service,” said Cantelmo, who now serves as the local chapter’s president. “That, and the other criteria that was important to me, was that both parents would be able to volunteer with their boys.”
The organization is seeking boys in grades 7-12 to volunteer for the coming year. An informational meeting for prospective members is slated for early next year.
For information about the Boys Team Charity, visit btcsaratoga.chapterweb.net or contact Presley Troyer at presleytroyer@gmail.com.
Link: Parents, sons join in philanthropic efforts through Boys Team Charity
