Students packed lunches for the homeless, spoke with previously incarcerated members from Homeboy Industries and celebrated their completion of service hours with Dippin’ Dots during Community Service Week Feb. 27 to March 3.
Hosted by Community Council, the week’s slogan, “Get Involved,” was meant to foster the spirit of community involvement, Community Council member Taylor Redmond ’18 said.
“We wanted to highlight the importance of helping in the greater community and how much of a difference we can make by giving back,” Redmond said. “I think it’s important that our student body understands that even the smallest of deeds does mean something, and that our achievements in serving these greater tasks don’t go unnoticed, so we have some treats in the week as well.”
Leukemia survivor Leighton Kaba and Make-A-Wish Greater Los Angeles CEO Neal Aton made a surprise visit at Wednesday’s First and Third Assembly and encouraged members of the community to support the foundation and participate in service activities. Students helped Kaba fulfill her own wish last November with a Disney-inspired assembly and a visit to Disneyland to meet Rapunzel.
Each grade level participated in a service event during their respective class meetings. In the sophomore class meeting Tuesday, dean groups competed in making a total of 400 sandwiches and sack lunches for the homeless on Skid Row.
Juniors packed 10,000 meals for those in underprivileged countries in partnership with Rise Against Hunger on Wednesday, and volunteers from Homebody Industries spoke to seniors on Thursday about their gang intervention and rehabilitation program.
“I thought the talk was by far the most impactful talk that we have had this year,” Ryan Doyloo ’17 said. “It also opened up conversations in my peer group about privilege and race. It was very personal and genuine.”
The week concluded with a Dippin’ Dots booth for students who completed their outreach hours.
“This week has been fantastic because it has allowed for people to become more conscious of the different ways we can help our community,” Sonya Ribner ’19 said. “I personally loved the Make-A-Wish assembly and learning about different organizations throughout the week because they were inspirational and made me want to help give more of those experiences to others.”
