Cole Casburn’s high school experience at Salem Community High School has been defined by a sense of service that runs deeper than most seniors would ever attempt to articulate. Whether he's helping build beds for children who don’t have one or guiding foster kids through their most joyful week of the year, Cole isn't volunteering for credit—he’s following a calling.

“It’s really about just being present,” he said. “To show kids there are people who care, and to create safe spaces—places where they can just be a kid.”

Cole volunteers with Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a local initiative that builds and delivers complete bed setups—frame, mattress, blanket, and pillow—to kids in the Salem area who otherwise might be sleeping on the floor. It's more than dropping something off. Cole and his team go into homes, assemble the beds on site, and take time to interact with the families. “We don’t just leave it on the porch,” he said. “We talk with them. We build it with them.”

He also serves at Royal Kids Camp, a sleepaway summer experience for children in the foster care system. There, Cole is a “Big Buddy,” assigned to one or two kids for the duration of the week. “It's my favorite week of the year,” he said. “We just get to love on them, give them a safe place, and let them be kids without pressure.”

Cole’s devotion to working with children doesn’t stop there. He’s currently on staff as a ministry intern at Salem Grace Nazarene Church, where he focuses heavily on children’s programming. His passion for mentorship is rooted in the influence of his mother, a special education teacher at Hawthorn Elementary. “I’ve grown up around kids who just need understanding,” he said. “Not every outburst is misbehavior—sometimes it’s how a kid copes. That perspective changed me.”

Those experiences have shaped his future. Cole plans to attend Greenville University in the fall, where he’ll major in physical education and minor in ministry, blending his interests in teaching and faith. He’s already earned his local minister’s license and sees his future moving toward pastoral work. “I want to be that steady voice in a kid’s life,” he said. “Someone they can trust and talk to.”

His time at Salem Community High School has been filled with activity—FCA, student council, peer helpers, tennis, and even coaching junior high football and elementary soccer through the City of Salem Recreation Department. His father, the city's Recreation Director, helped create a path for him to serve locally, but Cole’s work ethic and compassion have carried him the rest of the way.

“I try to talk to someone new every day,” he said. “Not to push an agenda, but to show kindness. Maybe open a door for a deeper conversation when the time is right.”

And when he reflects on the legacy he leaves behind at Salem Community High School, it's clear he’s already made a lasting impact. “My little sister’s a freshman here now,” he said. “I know she’s watching. That keeps me grounded.”

As he heads toward a future filled with purpose, there’s no question Cole will continue building what he started—bed by bed, story by story, child by child.