Volunteer Spotlight: Canfield Middle School Students

"Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education." - Martin Luther King Jr.

Marcus Rozier is a busy sixth grade student. He swims 18 hours a week, spends time with his horse, Sam, and LIVES UNITED. In December, he walked door-to-door to raise money and awareness for The Wounded Warrior Project.

Georgia Worrell, Reilley Chapman and Ryan Chapman have classes together in school. They enjoy spending time with their friends and family, and they LIVE UNITED. They collected and delivered more than 75 pounds of canned food items to the local food bank at Community Action Partnership.

Jake Self, Alex Mackimmie, and Zach Mackimmie are best friends. They love school, sports, and games. They may all have different interests, but they LIVE UNITED. They collected donations for Christmas for All.

Olivia Christ loves snow skiing, ballet, and cooking. She states, "I have a heart for volunteering. I love to do it!" She spends time and helps at the Union Gospel Mission Rescue Center for women and children. She LIVES UNITED.

All of these students attend Canfield Middle School and participated in a Reading and Language Arts Class "Act of Kindness" Project. Projects varied from volunteering at retirement communities, visiting the humane society, bell-ringing for The Salvation Army, spending time helping grandparents, helping a neighbor with yard work, splitting and stacking wood, feeding the homeless, collecting donations to help local nonprofits and many more local acts of kindness!

The project was introduced by asking the students if they remembered what they got for Christmas last year. "Surprisingly, only a couple of kids remembered a tangible item," said Teacher Ginny Whiteside. "We talked about the quote, 'Things don't make people happy; people make people happy.' Then I introduced the project and shifted their mindset from themselves to 'What can I do for someone else to spread kindness during the holiday season?'" The students were required to write a descriptive essay and do a presentation on their "Acts of Kindness."

"My grandpa was a veteran and I think it is pretty special to give back to an organization that helps all of them after they help us," says Marcus Rozier. When asked about her son's accomplishments, Monica Rozier said, "He stumbled across the Wounded Warrior Project on the Internet and I watched as he was able to pull his idea together to make an impact. He pays attention to the news and is very observant. We are so proud of him."

"When kids have basic needs met, they don't think about others that don't have the same essentials," states Whiteside. "The students that collected for and delivered to the food bank had an eye-opening experience. When they weighed our food, we saw a man get out of his car to go into the food bank and we knew we were going to feed him," Reilley Chapman recalled. Student Olivia Christ had a similar experience when she and her family made a lasagna dinner for the Union Gospel Mission shelter, "Not everyone I served was homeless. Some don't have enough money or they ran away from a bad home, and one child was visiting their mom. I could tell it made them very happy."

Many community partners feel our youth are taking a visionary approach to helping others. "They are thinking out of the box," shares Carolyn Shewfelt, CAP Food Bank Manager. "Some kids are having birthday parties and asking their friends to bring canned food items instead of gifts. The students from Canfield Middle School have been doing this for a couple of years. They are looking around themselves and seeing a need, more so now within their own peer circles than ever before. They may be small in stature, but their work is evident and mighty. It is amazing!"

All the parents were extremely proud of their students and many turned this experience into a family event that they say will continue year after year. For other families, it was an opportunity for their children to bond with their elders and share stories that might not otherwise be remembered. Student Dylan Bengtson was able to sit down with his 94-year-old great grandmother and experience generations of his family tree in her own words.

"This is so special that Dylan got to do that," says Whiteside. "It makes me a little teary-eyed just thinking about all the presentations. Those of us that are blessed to be teachers have the cherished opportunity to empower young people to see how their gifts can be used for the benefit of others. These students, their efforts, their essays and presentations exceeded my expectations."

Three sixth grade classrooms participated, with 80 students doing Kindness projects in the community. We believe in our young people's ability to become leaders in the advancement of our community and recognize their capacity to create solutions to many of the challenges we face as a society. It's never too early to get empowered, by experiencing the value of a giving spirit and the benefits that come with LIVING UNITED.

United Way of Kootenai County's Volunteer Center helps to get these students connected. The center offers a variety of ways to connect youth with meaningful volunteer opportunities. By volunteering your time and services, you can discover and develop skills, apply your academic knowledge through services and learning activities, receive recognition for your efforts and have fun helping others.

Get Connected!

The United Way of Kootenai County Volunteer Center - GET CONNECTED!

* "One-Stop Volunteer Resource Center" for the whole community

* Ongoing and one-time volunteer opportunities

* TAKE ACTION

208.667.8112

visit the United Way's Volunteer Center website

www.kootenaiunitedway.org

GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER