ELKHART -- On an unusually warm November morning almost two weeks ago, a group of nearly 200 people split into two parallel lines at Mishawaka's Battell Park. In between the rake-brandishing volunteers was a thick blanket of dry leaves. Behind them were massive piles of soil.
The volunteers, most wearing bright red T-shirts with "Change Our World" on the front, were an equal mix of local adults and area middle school students. Yet within three hours the leaves were raked into mountainous piles and dirt was spread throughout the park.
Similar scenes were taking place across the Michiana landscape at four other parks in Elkhart, Mishawaka and South Bend that day. But the service blitz was just one part of Change Our World, a bold campaign undertaken last month by a relatively new but deeply rooted organization called Five Star.
With its focus mainly on sixth- through 10th-grade students in 13 Michiana schools, Five Star's approach is multi-faceted but simple -- implement basic values through positive experiences while beside a life coach.
"You look at these junior high students and so many of the issues that we see, the reasons why they're failing, is because they lack relationships. They lack hope. They lack inspiration. They lack a mentor or someone telling them that they have huge potential," said Justin Maust, president of Five Star.
In the Five Star office, recently renovated during the Change Our World campaign, Maust points to a shelf full of books with titles such as "Raising the Bar" or "God is my CEO."
"I can give you any one of these books," Maust said. "They all have good values, good leadership principles, but they probably won't change your life because there is no one helping you take steps towards them."
Five Star lasts in three eight-week sessions during the school year. The students spend time with each of the five values -- courage, respect, responsibility, integrity and sacrifice -- often in small groups. As a general rule, Maust said, a Five Star life coach is never given more than eight children to work and bond with.
"The reason Five Star is having an impact is because our coaches are making a heart connection to these students," he said.
But Maust said the values are best grasped once they are applied. For that, Five Star holds courses during the summer at Adventure Summit, a camp on Manowé Ranch in Sturgis, Mich. There, on 263 acres of forests and ponds, students can test themselves on a world-class ropes course, where they can be harnessed as high as 130 feet in the air.
"OK, you learned about courage in the cafeteria of your school from Five Star. Now you're faced with fear," Maust said a coach might tell a student. After such an experience, Maust said, there is a noticeable confidence boost in the student.
"It's not just the values. It's not just the relationships. It's not just the experience. But when you put it all together and you do it all year long. It's what a family does," Maust said. "They do life together."
Maust's own journey was taken in stride beside his brother, Seth Maust, now executive director of Five Star. Five years ago, the two decided they needed a new direction in life. Justin worked at an Edward Jones firm in Caro, Mich. Yet after "some soul searching," the financial adviser said he felt a calling for something greater. Meanwhile, in Cayseville, Mich., Seth was a youth director in a local church. But he longed to help kids in greater numbers outside the church.
"Justin and I came to the conclusion about the same time," Seth Maust remembered. "We said, 'You know what? We both love kids. Let's do something about it.'"
Their next move was to uproot from Michigan and plant themselves in Elkhart. Here, they found pockets of untapped potential. But they also met Jim Shaffer, chairman of Manowé Ministries. After sharing their vision with him, Five Star was born.
"We fell under the umbrella of the Manowé family," Seth Maust said.
In just five years under that umbrella, Five Star has grown from serving 50 students with only 10 volunteers to more than 1,000 students and almost 250 volunteers in 13 schools.
The Change Our World campaign followed in that success. While the massive service projects displayed Five Star's reach among the community, another hand of the campaign quantified the community's appreciation.
Just over a week ago, Five Star was awarded 11th place in America's Giving Challenge after raising $20,226 from 1,664 donations during the Change Our World campaign. It was a "huge victory," as Justin Maust saw it.
"This was way bigger than Five Star," Justin Maust said. "I just thought this is an opportunity for our people to stand up for the youth of Indiana and make a statement to the nation that our youth have huge potential."
Even though Five Star started fundraising 12 days after the 30-day online competition began, Five Star was among the top fundraisers in the country. For its efforts, Five Star will also receive $10,000 in award money.
Still, Justin Maust said no matter how much resources Five Star has, the core of the program is still the volunteers.
"That's what Five Star is," Maust said emphatically. "We are building these relationships."