I am a huge advocate for service learning. While at the volunteer summit, I wanted to stand up and brag about accomplishments with regards to District 742 students serving this community. I will continue to share our accomplishments with the media as we continue with service to these communities. We have a vision that imbeds service learning into the curriculum. In fact, the curriculum department is working to do this.
There are so many projects going on all over the community by our students; we need to make sure that service learning is institutionalized. This blog is an attempt to share with the community how much our students do under the guidance of their teachers/schools to serve. This community should recognize that their schools' students are role models for all when it comes to service. Look at the service-to-community examples below:
District 742 students serve:
□ Many food drives
□ Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign
□ Drives for donating books
□ Caring for the Veteran's Memorial
□ Decorating and engaging veterans in activities at the V.A. several times each year
□ Visiting local nursing homes to engage residents in activities
□ Students plan and host a First Responders Tribute
□ One school has a sister school in Belize; students raise funds for them
□ We host a District Legion Convention; kids serve at this event
□ Student Councils: A variety of projects
□ Public Library Fundraising
□ Package unclaimed lost and found for needy children
□ Helping to run our summer school program.
□ Local park clean-ups/garden planting/bench painting
□ Toys for Tots Collection
□ Neighborhood litter pick-up
□ Prairie planting
□ Reading to younger children/ELL students via Book Buddies
□ Collection of school supplies for the less fortunate
□ Give with Your Heart Project
□ Change the World Projects
□ Peer Tutoring
□ Peer Mentoring
□ St. Cloud Hospital - Children's Unit
□ Back Packs/School Supplies distributed – kids in need
□ Several fundraisers: events to donated to local and one national charities
□ Blood Drives at our high schools
□ Donating furnishings for families in need
□ Participation with the DNR in trout stream restoration projects
□ Earth Day clean-up activities
□ Rice donations to the UN World Food Program to help end hunger
□ Growing a vegetable garden and donating fresh produce to the food shelf
□ Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign
□ Share the Spirit, sponsored by Catholic Charities
□ Kids Hope Shop at the Place of Hope
□ Kids Against Hunger
□ Volunteering at Tri-County Humane Society
□ Lake George clean-up
□ Feed Our Families event
□ Blankets/hats for the homeless shelter
□ Collection of stuffed animals for Guatemala
□ Coats for Kids
□ Packaging at Kids Against Hunger
□ Support our Troop drive
□ Crisis Nursery
□ Empty Bowls
□ Benefit concert for food shelf
□ ARISE Program sponsoring (Track and Field for Developmentally Delayed adults and kids)
□ Juvenile Arthritis Walk
□ Youth Build
□ Sauk River clean up project
...and the list goes on and on!!!
