Service Week was amazing!

For five days, students in first through sixth grade volunteered at humanitarian organizations around the city, made blankets for the Linus Project, listened to speakers from the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition, made sandwiches for a local food pantry and participated in beautification efforts on our own campus.

Some of the younger students grew tired but wanted to keep working because they knew their work was important. When summarizing the experience during one of their reflection exercises, a student chose “sadness and hope” as words that encapsulated her feelings. She was sad about the huge need in our community and the world, but was hopeful because she could see what a tremendous difference she and her classmates had made. While working together for 3 hours at Matthew 25, the children made 877 personal-care kits. One child said, “What if every person in the world did this? Just think how many kits we could make!”

Older students reflected on their service-week experience by writing articles that will be published in Street Vibes (a grassroots newspaper supported by the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition). They also wrote one-sentence learnings saying,

  • “I learned that small things can make a big difference.”
  • “I am more aware of how much some people need.”
  • “I’ve learned that I’m lucky to have 3 parents who love me and to have always had a home.”

This week of service has been a wonderful opportunity for students to see the power of community and to realize the impact one life can have on another.

The slideshow below shows photos from Service Week.

 

 

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