Students volunteered at Aviva Family Services in a community event, where they played with kids in daycare Oct. 20. Aviva Family Services provides children, who have suffered from abuse and exploitation, with living arrangements and care.

In partnership with the Aviva Volunteer program, the HW Parent Community Service Program organized this excursion. The association organizes trips each year, and invites both upper and middle school students to participate.

“For this event, people were put into groups to get different projects done,” volunteer Helen Graham ’21 said. “I personally spent some time painting a fence outside and interacting with some kids.”

Volunteers assisted the program by organizing rooms and creating kits with donated school supplies, toiletries and baby supplies.

Students also helped arrange gifts for the parents and children staying with the program, in efforts to further improve their holiday seasons, Graham said.

“The event made me feel very grateful and humbled because I saw so many children who are going through so much but still have a smile on their [faces], as well as adults who, despite all their hardships, remained persistent to work hard and fight for opportunities that we get without question,” volunteer Britt Gronemeyer ’20 said.