On Oct. 15, the freshmen took a day to dedicate their time to community service. They worked with several organizations, including Gemma Services/Head Strong, Cradles to Crayons, One House at a Time (OHAAT), and Carversville Farm. Each organization provided an introduction to community service.
The day-of-service opportunity started last year, with the idea being that each grade would have something to do that particular day. In the past, the seniors worked on college applications, the juniors took the PSAT and the sophomores had their field trip. That left a gap for the freshmen, which was then filled with this service project.
Community service plays a big role at Germantown Academy. Mr. Steven Moll, Upper School Dean of Students, decided to introduce the freshmen to volunteering through this service day.
“The origin [of the trip] is that Mr. Moll had an idea that students should engage in a real opportunity of community service [and] just be exposed to it,” Mr. Bob Moyer, one of the faculty advisors for the Community Service Organization, said. “And so it’s an essential part of the development of young people, and an essential part of education.”
The Gemma Services and Head Strong organizations partnered with the 9th grade to provide a buddy day for children in 3rd and 4th grade. Together, they packed bags filled with candies, different arts and crafts and stickers. The bags will later be distributed to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for kids who are unable to go trick-or-treating.
At Carversville Farm, students learned the importance of contribution through manual labor. They worked on the farm to supply food to non-profit organizations stationed in Philadelphia.
“You know, you do have some farms that will grow food and they’ll sell them to restaurants,” Mr. Moyer said. “But this farm, the whole point of the model is that it grows food so that it can battle hunger in the Philadelphia area.”
OHAAT, another organization that supports the Philadelphia area, supplies materials essential to living in a functional home environment. The freshmen helped sort and package sleeping and hygiene items such as bedding, books and toothbrushes.
Cradles to Crayons is another family-servicing organization that the freshmen worked with. Cradles to Crayons provides supplies to families, including hygiene products, clothing and educational materials.
“I went [with] about 25 other people [to the] Philadelphia region, and we sorted out clothes,” Alex Flem ‘29 said. “It was a fun process; the amount of piles [of clothes] you’d see behind you, you’d just think, ‘wow.’”
Many students also enjoyed taking a break from school in order to contribute to the community. They were able to spend time with friends while working for a better cause.
“My experience was nice because I got to work with my friends at the farm,” Jonathan Chiang ‘29 said.
The freshman day of service provided insight into the different aspects of volunteering and served as a learning experience for many, as a lot of students were able to learn valuable lessons about the importance of serving one’s community.
“I think the most important thing to take away from this experience is that even little things can go to a greater cause,” Patel said. “So if you do a little act of community service each day, you can contribute to a greater cause over time.”