Service Learning ~ Mindful Actions
6th Grade
Community Service Projects
House of Hope
In 2009 I joined the American International School - Chennai, Middle School faculty and shortly thereafter volunteered to be a co-director of the Middle School Reaching Out Club. Our mission was to find a place where we could help make a difference in our community. After doing a little research we discovered the organization "House of Hope," and they were a perfect fit. H.O.H. is a church sponsored orphanage that houses, cares for, and literally raises 20 children (ages 7-17) who were all affected by the tsunami of 2004. In 2009/2010 the A.I.S.C. Reaching Out club students conducted several field trips to meet the House of Hope children, play with them, and ultimately assess their needs to discover where we could make the most significant financial impact. We held several bake sales over the year and raised enough money to purchase new school supplies for each H.O.H student for upcoming academic year.
In 2010/2011, Reaching Out Club continued to work with H.O.H. In addition to holding bake sales to raise money, we organized a monthly activity afternoon at our school. Each month Reaching Out Club invited the H.O.H. kids to come spend the afternoon with us. Reaching Out students organized activity rooms or "stations" (games, computers, sports, art, ESL, music) for the H.O.H. kids to rotate through for the afternoon. Our activity afternoon provided the H.O.H. kids with an opportunity to acquire new skills and access materials that would otherwise remain outside of their reach. Smiles and laughter were always shared as new friendships and cultural bonds were formed.
I'm happy to report that Reaching Out Club is still going strong in 2011/2012. Many of the students who were with me from the beginning are still at AISC in India. They still hold bake sales, continue to work with the House of Hope kids, and positively impact the world around them.
In 2010/2011, Reaching Out Club continued to work with H.O.H. In addition to holding bake sales to raise money, we organized a monthly activity afternoon at our school. Each month Reaching Out Club invited the H.O.H. kids to come spend the afternoon with us. Reaching Out students organized activity rooms or "stations" (games, computers, sports, art, ESL, music) for the H.O.H. kids to rotate through for the afternoon. Our activity afternoon provided the H.O.H. kids with an opportunity to acquire new skills and access materials that would otherwise remain outside of their reach. Smiles and laughter were always shared as new friendships and cultural bonds were formed.
I'm happy to report that Reaching Out Club is still going strong in 2011/2012. Many of the students who were with me from the beginning are still at AISC in India. They still hold bake sales, continue to work with the House of Hope kids, and positively impact the world around them.
4th Grade
Community Service Projects
Blind Babies Fund
100 Shoes for 100 Feet
5th Grade
Community Service Projects
Papers for Puppies (Guide Dogs of the Blind)
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