Fox Lane Juniors Give Back During Community Volunteer Day
Fox Lane Juniors Give Back During Community Volunteer Day
For the fifth year, students spent the morning volunteering in the community
“Helping out is contagious.”
This was one of the main messages during Fox Lane High School’s fifth annual Community Volunteer Day. In partnership with the Suzanne Grant Foundation, 277 high school juniors and 30 staff members went out into more than 20 organizations to spend their morning giving back to our community.
The Suzanne Grant Foundation was started by Dave Grant in honor of his late wife, Suzanne, who was a Bedford Central School District parent, former Board of Education member and volunteer.
“Today is a day when we continue her work,” Grant said. “We don’t just think about ourselves, we think about others. You’ll spend the day with people you don’t know, with a teacher you might not have had, doing something you haven’t done for people you’ll never meet.”
Before students headed out to their different locations, Fox Lane High School Principal Dr. Jennifer Amos reminded them that they would be interacting with people who may have never met a Fox Lane High School student before.
“We have an opportunity to show that we are helpful leaders,” Dr. Amos said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun, but we’re there to make a difference.”
The experiences students took part in were wide ranging. Students did some weeding at places like Muscoot Farm and Endeavor Therapeutic Horsemanship. Others played with kids at Neighbors Link, bagged food at Mount Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry, and interacted with community members while working food distribution and a clothing drive at the Community Center of Northern Westchester.
“I’m prepared if there’s an emergency and I know the signs to look for if someone starts choking,” said Alvaro Lemus, who got CPR training with the Red Cross.
Amanda Neglia, who went to Pound Ridge Elementary School, enjoyed painting rocks and doing activities with the students there.
“It was fun to connect with the kids and take a break from school a little bit,” she said. “The kids are so cute.”
Jack Ralston went to the Bedford Village Fire Department where members of the Bedford Hills and Mount Kisco fire departments were also on hand to take students through a variety of activities.
“We got to use the firehose and learned how to break down a door. It was fun,” Jack said.
Once they were back on campus, students were treated to pizza and ice cream before hearing some final words about the day.
“People love to talk about changing the world,” Grant said. “I think that’s a rather daunting idea. But we can make our school a little better. We can make our community a little better. We can make ourselves a little better. You did a lot of good today. You made your community, your school and yourselves a little bit better—and that makes the world a little better.”
Students were given a list of the organizations that participated and contact information they can use to volunteer again. Along with staff, they also had the opportunity to fill out a survey on the experience, letting organizers know what worked and what didn’t work about their experiences so that they can make next year even better.
One staff member raved about their time at the Community Center of Northern Westchester.
“The is a perfect site for junior volunteer day. Students learn a great deal about the organization's goals and purpose and how they serve the community in meaningful ways,” they said. “Plus, students were able to see the impact of their work as they interacted and helped community members.”
It was a fun, productive, and meaningful day.
“If you stop and think for a minute about someone in your life who is really special to you, you’ll realize that it’s because they’re always there for you,” Superintendent Dr. Rob Glass said to students. “They would drop everything and volunteer to help you. You were that person for someone today. It’s important for communities. Keep it going. Pass it on.”
You can see what past junior classes did during their volunteer days at the links below:
- All Locations
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