POWDERSVILLE - The first graders in Mrs. Heather Wilson’s class at Wren Elementary are doing big things. Their class just completed a service project to collect items for the McCall Hospice House in Simpsonville, SC.
Their story began a few months ago when Alaina Dawson of Palmetto Elementary chose to have a shoe drive instead of a birthday party.
Mrs. Wilson shared Alaina’s story with her first graders, who then decided that they wanted to make a difference too. The class spent a few weeks thinking about ideas for ways that they could help others. During this time Mrs. Wilson’s grandmother became increasingly ill. When her grandmother had to leave home to go and stay at the McCall House, Mrs. Wilson explained to her students that her grandmother was going to a place like a hospital where people go when they are sick.
She was able to share with students about how the McCall house provides patients with a “Comfort Bag” when they arrive. It is filled with things that they will need during their stay. The students learned that the McCall House provides everything possible to make this place more like home.
There are all kinds of things for the patients and their families to do. There is even a “Cheer Cart” that travels around to cheer up the patients and their families. This cart carries items like snacks, puzzles, and other treats that patients and their families can enjoy.
After Mrs. Wilson’s grandmother passed away in March, the class decided to honor Mrs. Barbra Marden Taylor by collecting items to donate to the McCall House.
The students worked hard on this project. They took the responsibility for making phone calls to the McCall House to find out the items they needed most. They wrote a letter to their parents explaining what they were doing. They even asked help from neighbors and friends. They collected travel sized shampoo and body wash, washcloths, gripper socks, crossword puzzle books, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and many other items.
After two weeks of collecting, they sorted and counted all of the items. The final total came in at over 600 items donated to the McCall House. Students celebrated their success with a cupcake party the following Friday. The following statements were shared with Mrs. Wilson when students were asked what they learned from this project.
“When you are a small person you can do big things to help others.”
“It makes you feel special when you are giving back to other people.”
“It’s been exciting to do big things for other people.”
“It makes you happy when you give to other people.”
“It feels good to help people that are sick, even if you don’t know them.”
“It’s hard work to help others, but you should never give up.”
“I feel proud of myself for working hard to help others.”
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