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With widely outstretched arms, Colin Holmes bends over and scoops up the biggest bunch of leaves he possibly can up from a freshly raked pile. Trying not to let too many drop, he packs them into a big black trash bag that a classmate patiently holds open.
“This is something everyone should be doing,” Holmes said matter-of-factly. “Every day should be Make A Difference Day because we should want to make a difference everyday. It shouldn’t just be one day.”
Holmes, a seventh-grader at Polaris Expeditionary Learning School, was one of several students to participate in a service projects this past week as part of United Way of Larimer County’s Make A Difference Day. The week-long event gathered about 3,000 volunteers to participate in a variety of service projects throughout the county.
Polaris students chose between 12 different external projects ranging from landscaping at Debut Theater to reading stories to pre-schoolers at Barton Early Childhood Center. They also had class discussions about volunteerism prior to the trips. Holmes’ group helped rake leaves and paint an outdoor railing at Golden Peaks Nursing Home. After the work was done, they had time to visit with some of the residents.
Cree Bol, the adventure planner for Polaris, said as part of the curriculum at Polaris, students participate in a field work day once a month, where they take their learning out into the community.
“When students get out and participate in service, they better understand the benefits of helping others,” she said.
Maureen Lutz, the activities director at Golden Peaks Nursing Home, said that everything the staff does at the facility is focused around the quality of life of the residents.
“This is their home,” she said. “Like any home, you want it to look nice and be clean. You want a nursing home to be home-like. When volunteers can help make it look like that, it’s definitely important.”
Lutz said the students also benefit from helping because it teaches them how to be hardworking—something that they all can apply to future jobs.
Kristen Padilla, an eighth-grader at Polaris, stayed focused as she painted with black paint in between the nooks and crannies off the bars of the railing.
“It’s pretty cool our school gets to do this,” she said. “Not a lot do. We are actually showing our appreciation of our community,” she said.
Bol said that several of the students also participate in service projects year-round outside of school.
Delaney Flanagan, a seventh-grader at Polaris, has volunteered at the Larimer Humane Society for several years with her mom and brother. She usually helped with basic tasks like feeding the animals, playing with the animals and cleaning up after the animals.
“I like getting out and doing service work,” she said. “It’s a good reminder to get out and do more of it... You can make the community stronger and make the world a better place.”
“This is something everyone should be doing,” Holmes said matter-of-factly. “Every day should be Make A Difference Day because we should want to make a difference everyday. It shouldn’t just be one day.”
Holmes, a seventh-grader at Polaris Expeditionary Learning School, was one of several students to participate in a service projects this past week as part of United Way of Larimer County’s Make A Difference Day. The week-long event gathered about 3,000 volunteers to participate in a variety of service projects throughout the county.
Polaris students chose between 12 different external projects ranging from landscaping at Debut Theater to reading stories to pre-schoolers at Barton Early Childhood Center. They also had class discussions about volunteerism prior to the trips. Holmes’ group helped rake leaves and paint an outdoor railing at Golden Peaks Nursing Home. After the work was done, they had time to visit with some of the residents.
Cree Bol, the adventure planner for Polaris, said as part of the curriculum at Polaris, students participate in a field work day once a month, where they take their learning out into the community.
“When students get out and participate in service, they better understand the benefits of helping others,” she said.
Maureen Lutz, the activities director at Golden Peaks Nursing Home, said that everything the staff does at the facility is focused around the quality of life of the residents.
“This is their home,” she said. “Like any home, you want it to look nice and be clean. You want a nursing home to be home-like. When volunteers can help make it look like that, it’s definitely important.”
Lutz said the students also benefit from helping because it teaches them how to be hardworking—something that they all can apply to future jobs.
Kristen Padilla, an eighth-grader at Polaris, stayed focused as she painted with black paint in between the nooks and crannies off the bars of the railing.
“It’s pretty cool our school gets to do this,” she said. “Not a lot do. We are actually showing our appreciation of our community,” she said.
Bol said that several of the students also participate in service projects year-round outside of school.
Delaney Flanagan, a seventh-grader at Polaris, has volunteered at the Larimer Humane Society for several years with her mom and brother. She usually helped with basic tasks like feeding the animals, playing with the animals and cleaning up after the animals.
“I like getting out and doing service work,” she said. “It’s a good reminder to get out and do more of it... You can make the community stronger and make the world a better place.”
