Volunteering can provide so many rewards in life, and the Grade 10 Career and Technology Studies class at E.H. Walter in Paradise Valley is currently experiencing the personal rewards as they learn about volunteerism.
The students are currently participating in their first project of action and are partnering with the Lloydminster Interval Home.
“At the beginning of the course we created a list of possible activities we could do to help out our community, including Lloydminster, and we felt the Lloydminster Interval Home was one on our list that we felt was important to support,” commented Grade 10 Project Manager Jane Willerton.
Throughout the course of the project, the class is also honouring and continuing the good deeds of a woman that passed away in the community of Lloydminster. To do so, the class has been sewing and knitting bags just as the lady would and is collecting donated items to go inside the bags to distribute to the Interval Home.
“She would place the items she was donating in bags she had sewn herself, and that is what inspired us to start sewing our own bags. We are continuing her work of supporting others in need,” commented Willerton.
To receive donated items to place in their newly sewn or knitted bags the class’ Public Relations’ person wrote a newsletter to send home with each of the students. They have been promoting their project on the morning school announcements and have placed bins in every classroom to collect the donations which they pick up on a bi-weekly basis. The students also called upon their local community to help with donations and placed bins at the P.V. Farm Service and ATB Bank. The items the students have collected will assist clients of the Interval Home when they transition into their new homes such as personal hygiene items, as well as socks, undergarments, tea towels, hangers, notebooks, lunch kits, and much more according to Willerton.
Willerton stated that through this activity they have recognized the importance of volunteering to help others and that through their actions they are helping many people by giving.
“Knowing our small part to help others makes us feel good, it makes us feel very happy for the people who are receiving our donations,” stated Willerton.
The class teacher Kerri Nutbrown echoed the sentiment and is proud of the class’s success throughout the project, as well as the students for the effort they have put into the project.
“All the students have done such a great job with this project, and it is great for them to get some sort of recognition for all the hard work. The project has been so well supported by the community,” stated Nutbrown.
The class would like to thank all the members of the community for their support.
“We have felt very supported by the community, and we couldn’t have done it without them!” said Willerton.
Next week the class will be making arrangements to collect all the items to be donated to the Lloydminster Interval Home. For more information on the Lloydminster Interval Home and the services and programs it provides you can visit, intervalhome.org