Aspiring Change Through Service
With the Christmas holidays almost upon us, students around FVSD are embracing the spirit of the season! Many schools have run food collection campaigns for community Christmas Hampers and others have collected gifts and toys to fill shoeboxes. Seasonal activities abound with holiday themed spirit days happening throughout the month of December.
La Crete Public School has one special class that is fully embracing the spirit of giving and kindness. Students in the Aspiring Change Through Service Program (ACTS 10) have been stepping outside their comfort zones and volunteering at La Crete Care & Share, Heimstead Lodge, Peace Country Gleaners, La Crete Rec Society, Sandhills Elementary and Ridgeview Central Schools, and are working closely with La Crete Support Services for their Food Bank and Christmas Hamper programs.
The 26 students currently enrolled in the program have been busy these last couple of months with many projects:
- Food Drive Competition
- Angel Tree/Toy Drive
- Book Drive
- Winter Memories Photo Booth
- Kindness Challenge (school-wide)
- Christmas Bakesale Fundraiser (Dec 22)
Students also have a Foosball Tournament, Cookie Deliveries, Ladies Tea, Senior Games Day and Snow Shoveling projects coming up this school year. As part of the course requirements, each student must complete at least 15 hours of community service with a local non-profit organization. Students learn the principles of leadership and in the process discover their own personal leadership characteristics and qualities.
Community groups and supervisors at the student volunteer placements have been enjoying having the students help. Recently the class spent two mornings with the Peace Country Gleaners helping to clean and process locally grown carrots that will in turn help feed hungry people in other parts of the world. La Crete Support Services staff have been very encouraged by all the help students have provided with restocking their bookshelves, food bank collections and helping to fill Christmas Hampers for community members in need.
Incorporating community values into the programming students receive is very important at LCPS. La Crete Public School teacher Karen Harder was involved in the creation of the ACTS 10 program over ten years ago and is thrilled to be teaching it this year.
