Last Friday we held our annual Day of Service. It was a time of busy hands, happy activity, lifted spirits, and joining together to do good work for truly meaningful causes . . . our school at its best!
The Day of Service is held in conjunction with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a way of emphasizing for our students the lessons learned from Dr. King's life-long commitment to bringing about positive change through peaceful means in the face of injustice. For this year's project, we chose to support ConKerr Cancer, an organization founded by a mother in Wayne with the mission "To make life brighter for children with life changing illnesses and injuries." Our children spent the afternoon making more than 80 colorful pillow cases that will help to brighten the hospital stays of children in our area.
A spirit-filled energy was evident throughout the school as small hands knotted fleece and fed sewing machines (with no pricked fingers!). Children partnered with classmates and Meeting Buddies and were assisted by teachers, parents, grandparents, alumni and board members. We gathered in the gym at the end of the day for everyone to see the collective results of their hard work. As we stood in a circle holding hands, Teacher John Scardina led us in singing "Circle of Friends" and "The Turning of the World." The pillowcases were placed in the middle of our circle and, as we headed home for the holiday weekend, they were taken to be washed, bagged, and distributed to the hospitals. Our light going out into the world.
Service is one of the Friends testimonies upon which our school's philosophy is based. For service to have meaning for young children, it should be tangible -- an opportunity for children to both learn about the needs of others and have a real understanding of how their act of service will make a difference. The pillowcase project met these goals in ways that simply collecting and giving money cannot.
That being said, sometimes giving money is exactly the help that is needed. When disaster strikes, as it has now in Haiti, organizations do not need us to send things -- they need cash to support immediate relief work. I am very proud of our Student Council who chose to donate the proceeds of their very successful bake sale toward relief work in Haiti rather than pursue their original plan of purchasing new playground equipment.
Your family may have already contributed to relief work in Haiti. If not, I strongly urge you to consider supporting the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker organization with a long and successful history of providing both immediate relief and longer-term recovery.
Members of our faculty are already exploring ways that our school can engage in service work for the people of Haiti that is, as I mentioned above, tangible. In the past, we have participated in drives that AFSC has organized to collect hygiene kit materials. I expect a plan to develop over the next few weeks.
From the Day of Service to days of service . . . I am confident that our students will go on to lead lives of service . . . making our world better through their good work.
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