Bodkin students, grades K-5, transformed from student to volunteer before our very eyes during January’s Winter Relief Lunch Drive and Fieldtrip to support homeless individuals receiving shelter at Our Lady of the Chesapeake. Gone are the days of supporting a “drive” without students seeing its impact or purpose. Not only did students provide 100% of the food for lunches for individuals receiving shelter in our community for a week, but they took their caring one step further by volunteering to turn the donated items into beautiful and healthy lunches. The students were able to see a temporary shelter and the number of volunteers necessary to make the Winter Relief Project a success. Kindergarten and first grade volunteers decorated bags and assisted in filling them with snacks and drinks; second and third grades wrote caring cards and notes to add to the lunches and also added items to the lunches; and fourth and fifth grade volunteers made sandwiches and washed fruit to be added. All student volunteers toured the temporary shelter and participated in discussions about its origin and the helpers who make it happen.
In line with our change-making initiatives of illuminating the concepts of empathy, leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving, the Winter Relief Program in AA County provides a local example. Many programs begin with empathy…caring put into action. When a few caring volunteers imagined cold nights for homeless individuals, communities put caring into action with the start of the Winter Relief Program allowing churches and organizations to participate in change. By each volunteering group doing their part (often providing shelter for a week during November-April), shelter could be accessed for our coldest months. Students are able to dive into how leadership had to take place to tackle such an endeavor and the amount of teamwork between communities and agencies that continues to exist. With empathy at the forefront, students see how problem-solving can be the driving force in addressing real issues affecting communities and families.
While the end result is a feel-good moment for students and staff, the purpose is to open the doors to what can be possible when someone wants to make a change. This experience serves as a springboard for discussions about real-life issues and ideas that children have that can make a difference. Thank you to parents and families for your continued support for such initiatives.
In line with our change-making initiatives of illuminating the concepts of empathy, leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving, the Winter Relief Program in AA County provides a local example. Many programs begin with empathy…caring put into action. When a few caring volunteers imagined cold nights for homeless individuals, communities put caring into action with the start of the Winter Relief Program allowing churches and organizations to participate in change. By each volunteering group doing their part (often providing shelter for a week during November-April), shelter could be accessed for our coldest months. Students are able to dive into how leadership had to take place to tackle such an endeavor and the amount of teamwork between communities and agencies that continues to exist. With empathy at the forefront, students see how problem-solving can be the driving force in addressing real issues affecting communities and families.
While the end result is a feel-good moment for students and staff, the purpose is to open the doors to what can be possible when someone wants to make a change. This experience serves as a springboard for discussions about real-life issues and ideas that children have that can make a difference. Thank you to parents and families for your continued support for such initiatives.