Salesian Service-Learning
News
AN INVITATION FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS TO JOINTHE SALESIAN SERVICE-LEARNING COMMITTEE
Dear Middle School Students and their Parents/Guardians
We are inviting all middle school students to consider joining the Salesian Service-Learning Committee. It is open to ALL middle school students who are interested in participating in activities that offer service to individuals and groups outside of our school community.
We will be meeting in our school's library on Mondays, from 11:50 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. We will eat lunch together and develop and carry out our plans of providing help to people in need. Some of what we do is coordinating collections of slightly used things that we pass on to others such as: Halloween Costumes, Warm Coats, Children's Books, Eye Glasses, Baby Clothes
We will also have a Christmas and Mother's Day Jewelry Sale that we call “New2You” which helps us raise money to pass on to a needy group.
This year, in addition to school-time participation, we would like EACH Committee Member to plan to do an act of service, such as: go to the San Francisco Food Bank with SSPP families to do one shift (which we will do on a Sunday in November, January, March and May) or some other service activity with their friends or family. Another example of that type of service would be to go with a family member to serve food at a Food Kitchen, or volunteer at a Senior assisted living home or go to a clean-a- beach project, and then report back to the group about what the experience was like. Fulfillment of this aspect of the membership commitment would take some family time and support. We encourage middle school students and their parent/guardian to discuss this before joining.
Salesian Service-Learning is an opportunity to experience first-hand what it feels like to reach out to people in our Bay Area community and beyond, to share time, and acts of generosity and kindness with others. Our Introductory meeting will on Monday, September 19th during lunch period. Middle School students are invited to bring their lunch to the Library and check us out.
Harriet Schatz and Annie Konstin
Facilitators
About SSL
Salesian Service-Learning was formed in 2004 when Sr. Rachel Crotti, FMA, Annie Konstin and I sat down to build a service learning program at Saints Peter and Paul School. It was truly a baby step by baby-step endeavor as we each shared our personal strengths and hopes for how we could support students to engage in, enjoy and learn from serving others in some way.
Over the years, most of what we do has been about organizing, promoting and delivering used items to people in need of what we could gather. When we ask for used Halloween costumes, warm worn coats, baby clothes, eye glasses, books etc., we can truly see how lucky we all are to have so much to give away.
After each project, all of the members of SSL sit down and talk about what we accomplished, what we learned, what each of us valued most from the experience, what worked, what didn’t work and we decide if it is a project worth repeating in the future. This is one of my favorite aspects of what we do as well as the moments of seeing our tables overflowing with items collected. I love the feeling of all of us being together in our meeting room amazed and appreciative of the abundance of generosity in our SSPP community.
SSL has had the opportunity to join other Salesian families in doing a work shift at the San Francisco Food Bank. We have sorted, packaged, weighed, and boxed 1000s of pounds of rice and beans so that families in the Bay Area would be able to get their portions of some basic food that a nutritious diet would require. The kids worked hard washing and relabeling cans. The warm soapy water was an added attraction as they laughed and talked and worked. The adults had a real bonding experience working on the assembly line, talking, laughing, and getting to know each other better. I was happy and proud to participate and to witness community service at its best. Once you visit the San Francisco Food Bank you are forever a supporter. The facility and the staff win you over with their incredible operation and their earnest commitment to feeding the hungry of the Bay Area. If there is an organization that could use our team in some way, shape or form, let me know.
Harriet Schatz is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who has been the Child and Family Counselor at Sts. Peter and Paul School since 1990. She loves watching our kids grow up to be the future caretakers of our planet.