WASHINGTON, D.C. — A sea of white began to spread over the faded green grass of the National Mall.
The hard, plastic squares were slowly laid over the newly sodded grass, a preventative measure to protect the greenery from hundreds of thousands of feet that would soon trample it come Inauguration Monday.
Brian Wanzer, 22, stood waiting for instruction.
He was just one part of the 16-man team tiling the grass with white covering.
He was younger than many in the group, wearing sneakers and dark wash jeans in a sea of work boots, camouflage cargos and faded jeans. His well-groomed, freshly buzzed hair, thin goatee and chinstrap beard didn’t let on to the hell he was facing just five months ago.
They did not reveal his addiction to heroin that brought him to his knees. Nor did they tell of his partner, Luke, who overdosed on the drugs Wanzer gave him.
He was not aware it was the National Day of Service. For Wanzer, service has been more than a weekend pastime. It’s a promise of a new future.
Two hundred yards down the Mall, a large tent swelled with the message of service. Celebrities spoke about the importance of volunteering. Various organization volunteers passed out literature to educate the public on their work. Politicians encouraged the crowd, at least half members of the press, to give of their time.
Service was the word of the day in Washington. Saturday was the National Day of Service, started by President Barack Obama during his first inauguration in 2009. Americans were encouraged to give back to their communities and to the nation in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.
The men volunteered in the shadow of the adorned United States Capitol Building, where Obama would soon attempt to unite the public and provide direction with his inaugural speech.
The men worked as passersby slowed to watch the actions on an otherwise quiet mall.
Stacks of the plastic tiles sat awaiting to be placed. Transformation of the Mall for the inauguration began Jan. 4, but this particular project needed to be finished by 6 p.m., said Neeal Vasavada, operations manager of eps america.
The workers peeled off their layers as warm rays of winter sun added to the sweat gathering on their brows.
The workers were comprised of two different groups, though they shared the same vision. Wanzer’s group of three was from Capitol Heights Teen Challenge in Maryland, while the other was a Teen Challenge group from Shenandoah Valley, Va.
Founded in 1958, Teen Challenge is a national organization that provides service learning and spiritual guidance for those battling addictions or escaping gang activity.
Kevin Morris, 46, is a staff member at the Capitol Heights Teen Challenge. He went through the one-year program six years ago in California after battling drugs unsuccessfully for years, and he now helps men transition in and out of the center.
“We unlearn being selfish,” Morris said. “It takes the focus off of you when you help other people.”
He helped Wanzer carry the
7-by-7-foot tiles to their designated spots. In between lifts, Wanzer looked off down the Mall or simply stared at the bright, white flooring.
It’s been five months since he last used, since he last had sex. The two were a toxic combination, he said. A relationship with God and prayer has helped with his addictions, he said. So, too, have various service projects across the region.
Though, there are difficult days.
“Being in a center with a lot of guys, there’s temptation,” he said. “You get temptation to smoke cigarettes, to go get drugs.”
He would leave the green of the Mall after his work was finished. The three men of Capitol Heights would get in their van and return Tuesday for teardown.
It might be one of Wanzer’s last volunteering events with the program. He has dreams to make happen, he said.
His mother, a marine, is helping him land a job in a hotel restaurant. Wanzer has aspirations of a culinary career. He wants to stay active in the church, maybe even start playing the saxophone again. Most of all, he wants to stay clean.
He’s not sure where a future partner might fit in. His love of men is an abomination according to his church, he said, but that is in direct conflict with certain state laws that allow gay marriage.
It’s a balancing act between faith and identity, between right and wrong.
“I’m actually praying every day that God will give me wisdom to help me understand,” he said. “I have to, I guess.”
