$500 Spirit of Love High School Scholarship
I am an eighth grade student attending Mary Immaculate School. I have performed acts of social justice and community service, which have really warmed my heart. I feel that I have got out there and served the most needed. People think that helping the poor and needy is by donating things. However, God said it in scripture to show social justice and community service by your actions not your words.
The Stewpot Shelter and my eight grade religion teacher, Mrs. Watts have inspired me to serve the poor. Through the years at Mary Immaculate I have donated to canned foods and Christmas toy drives. In seventh grade that all changed, and my desires for community service began to focus more on working with the poor. On food drives, I gathered food, clothes, and toys packaged them and helped put them in cars. During both my seventh and eighth grade years we brought lunches for the Austin Street Shelter, collecting over 400 bags this year.
Being confirmed, we are required to do community services, and once again my desires and attention have been dedicated to serving the poor. I have gone to the Stewpot Shelter over Christmas and poured drinks at lunch for the homeless. My confirmation group also received a tour of the facility. I was so impressed with the Shelter, because it truly tries to help the homeless get a chance to turn their lives around. The shelter had dental and medical service, resume assistance, clothes, food, bible service, and an art class, which enable the homeless to sell their art work and make money. Some of the homeless have their art work displayed in collections, and one even has his work in the White House. Seeing all the success made me want to do more for the Stewpot Shelter with their need for clothing, especially jeans, socks, and plastic garbage bags that the homeless use for ponchos to stay dry, and to hold their belongings. I decided to go door to door in my neighborhood and hand out flyers to collect all of these necessities. I was able to collect 21 bags of clothing. I included my little brothers in this project and we brought the donations to the shelter. It felt so good to know the clothes would help them look for work, keep them warm, and hopefully get them back on track. I was also proud that my brothers understood the value of their work and how it will make a difference in the lives of the homeless people they saw that day. I am planning a clothing drive for the entire school of Mary Immaculate this Valentines of 2008. I am hopeful to take over 600 pairs of jeans on February 18th when my brothers and I will go and serve the homeless again. I am hopeful that I will be attending Jesuit next year, and continuing my community service efforts in many different avenues, but my heart will always be with helping the homeless.Show/Hide Footer Actions