Encouraging students to serve

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
January 26, 2006

Schools throughout the Diocese of Sioux City encourage students to serve in a variety of ways.

Lori McMillan's first grade class at Gehlen Catholic in Le Mars started "Coins of Compassion," a school-wide service project, during Advent.

At the beginning of Advent, a note was sent home to each of the students and families asking them to bring four types of coins to school.

Since there are four weeks of Advent, the students brought pennies the first week, nickels the second, dimes the third and quarters the final week. There was a collection container in each classroom, noted McMillan. The first graders went to the classrooms each day to collect the coins.

"I feel compassion is something that Jesus showed to his followers," said McMillan. "This is something that Jesus would do. He would reach out and try to help other people. That is how we are showing our compassion to them."

The day before Christmas break, they took the money to the bank. The money raised was used to purchase vitamins to be taken to Honduras.

The students presented 110 bottles of vitamins to Mission Honduras director, Richard Seivert. Seivert thanked the first graders for their leadership and support.

"I think they were really excited because sometimes they have a hard time connecting to the bigger idea of Mission Honduras," said McMillan. "We see pictures and go to the prayer services for it, but I don't think they sometimes get a true understanding of it. I think this kind of brought it a little more down to their level. They got to experience something that they were going to be giving the kids."

At Sts. Peter and Paul Grade School in West Bend, the students have focused on compassion.

"Each month our student council has selected a service project to do to focus on other people," said Jean Hyslop, principal at Sts. Peter and Paul.

The school has worked with local, national and world projects. They had a fundraiser at the beginning of the school year to send money to Hurricane Katrina victims.

The student held a fundraiser for the local food pantry during one week of Advent. Another week they adopted a family. The next week the students collected pennies for the pantry.

"For January and Catholic Schools Week, our project was for service men," said Hyslop. "We collected some items - pens, beanie babies to hand out to children - to send to them."

Hyslop purchased two build-a-bears. One has been named St. Compassion and the other St. Trustworthy.

"I wanted to use the bears somehow towards service and compassion," said Hyslop. "Each month when we do something the students earn a chance towards winning those bears at the end of the year."

She pointed out that the students are trying to do things for others instead of for themselves.

"I think sometimes we forget to not judge. We need to step back and help people and be kind to people," said Hyslop. "To be compassionate you need to not judge. You have to just be there for people and help them in whatever ways necessary."

Hyslop continued that there are "a lot of ways to be compassionate. I think that our children need to recognize that living here in Northwest Iowa we are pretty protected from some things that are happening. Some people don't have what we have and we are so blessed with it."

Hyslop is also the principal at Emmetsburg Catholic in Emmetsburg. The students at Emmetsburg Catholic participate in a bake sale each month. The seventh grade class organizes the bake sale. The proceeds go to Heifer International to buy a heifer for a person in another part of the world.

"The whole school becomes involved in that through the bake sale," said Hyslop.

The students at St. Patrick School in Sheldon are taking up a collection this year for Beau Campbell, a student at Gehlen Catholic in Le Mars.

Beau has suffered for many years with a disease that has meant high medical costs for his family. The hope of St. Patrick's is to help the Campbell family with their donation.

"I thought Beau would be someone that the kids could really identify with," said Sister Anne McCormick, PBVM. "It is pretty local for us - building on the idea of community."

Eileen Campbell, Beau's mother, visited St. Patrick's to talk to the students about Beau's disease and to help them understand what Beau has experienced since fourth grade. The hope of this is to increase the awareness the students have of the need for compassion for all who suffer from any disease.

"We felt like we knew him when she was done," said Sister Anne. "It was a wonderful presentation. It made him real to us."

According to Sister Anne, Eileen talked to kindergarten through fourth grade and fifth through eighth grade. She added that the students had several questions for Eileen about Beau.

"I think that it helps them become more aware," said Sister Anne. "We talked about several things - thanking God for their own good health."

The students are collecting money in each classroom and will send letters to Beau when the money is sent.

"We look at the Gospel values that we have had - community, compassion, respect, courage - and how much of their helping Beau includes all of those Gospel values," said Sister Anne.

At Storm Lake St. Mary High School, as part of the senior peace and justice course the seniors came up with a service project that related to the respect life chapter in their books. The students decided to make baby blankets to take to the hospital.

"It was an idea that the students came up with to celebrate life and knowing that at times there are families who maybe don't have a blanket to take their child home in," said Ryan Berg, religion teacher at St. Mary's.

Each student brought in $5 to use to purchase material. There is a leadership group at St. Mary's that part of the money came from as well, Berg pointed out.

The students collected enough money to buy close to $200 or $250 worth of material. During class for a couple of days, the students made about 17 fleece tie blankets.

The blankets were presented to employees in the OB department at the hospital when they were finished. The blankets will be given to families in need of them.

"I thought the biggest part of it was that it was a unique idea and something that they can have a little more direct contact with," said Berg. "Sometimes we just collect things or donate things and there isn't as much hands-on experience. They were actually making the blankets themselves and knew they were going to a good cause."

He believes this is a good thing and a way of recognizing "what life is all about."

Cutline (Coins of compassion picture):

Richard Seivert's study hall and Lori McMillan's class total the number of vitamins to figure out how many children in Honduras they helped through Coins of Compassion.