A Valentine’s Special

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A Valentine’s Special

  • April 29, 2020
  • Posted by: Caitlin McCallum
  • Category: Wow Story
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This week we are sharing a feel-good story from the days before isolation and self-quarantine, when we could still come together in person to do good works for those around us. This story is from LSEM teacher Amy Goodwin at Central Lutheran School in New Haven, IN:

The junior high Gifted & Talented (ENRICH) students from Central Lutheran School participated in a project-based learning service project this winter.  This was a student-led project in which the students planned, implemented, and carried out a project to its completion.  It began with each junior high group researching different local charities/organizations and choosing which one they would like to support.  Then the students learned how to write a proposal for their projects.  The ENRICH students chose the winning proposal by a majority vote. The group that won presented their proposal to our principal for final approval. Then, we got to work!  

The next part was a little tricky as we have 21 junior high ENRICH students in 6th-8th grade, and they are seen in five different small groups.  I decided to organize the groups by different tasks.  The 6th grade was responsible for the marketing of the project. They got information out to students and parents through posters, social media, school newsletters, morning announcements, and presentations to each classroom to promote our project.  The 7th grade was involved with budgeting and shopping lists for the Valentine baskets. The 8th grade learned how to write a Thrivent Action Grant to help fund our project and assisted the 6th and 7th graders.

The organization that we chose to support was Redemption House, a local Christian-based transition home for women. The students decided to make Valentine baskets for the women that lived at Redemption House and their children.  We held two fundraisers at school to help purchase items for the baskets and to raise money for the ENRICH program’s special activities. The entire school was able to participate in both fundraisers, which were a Dress Down Day and class donations of Valentine candy, pencils, and stickers.

My students and I were blown away by the generosity of Central Lutheran School!  We received over $600 from Dress Down Day and an abundance of Valentine candy and other goodies!  With these funds and the Thrivent grant, we were able to make some amazing gift baskets for the women and children. We put together 24 Valentine baskets for the children, 20 Valentine baskets for the women, and gift bags for the workers of Redemption House. 

The 8th grade students, along with myself and their parents, were able to deliver the baskets to the ladies of Redemption House.  What a marvelous example of sharing God’s love!  It meant so much to the women and children of Redemption House to be remembered and blessed in this way.

We wrapped up the project by writing thank you’s to people who helped in special ways. The students hosted a cookie party for the class at school that raised the most money for Dress Down Day and made cookie trays for all the teachers to show our appreciation for their support of our project.  The project was a great success! It was a wonderful real-life learning experience for my students to utilize and enhance their problem-solving, leadership, and organization skills to see a project come to fruition, and to know their efforts were able to bless others in a positive way.