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| Proudly Supporting Our Community |
Students Collect Food for Others
As part of a Service Learning Class (Brooke Ludwig, Social Worker, and Brad Kachel, Teacher), students presented the idea of coordinating a canned food drive for the Water Street Rescue Mission. The students created commercials and posters to motivate fellow students and staff to bring in canned goods. After a canned food drive that lasted for 10 school days, the students collected 170 cans for donation. Staff later took a group of students to the mission to donate the cans in person.
Student Project Supports Wolf Sanctuary
The students and staff of Ms. Lisa Rutt’s class at Community School West are working together to raise money for the Wolf Sanctuary of PA. The goal is to assist the sanctuary by collecting any kind of dry dog food, dog treats, and jerky style dog treats.
The Community School West project will help the wolves live a nice and full life at the wolf sanctuary. It is very important to make sure these wolves have a second chance because some species of wolves are on the endangered species list. The students are dedicated to assisting the sanctuary because they think it’s a good cause.
If you want to help the cause, please donate dry dog food, dog treats, and jerky style dog treats. Deliveries can be accepted between the hours of 8:30AM to 3:00PM, Monday through Friday, at Community School West. If you need to have items picked-up, please contact lisa_rutt@iu13.org or call 717-606-1369.
For additional details about this project, please contact Lisa Rutt at Community School West. [Speedwell Forge Wolf Sanctuary of PA is a non-profit organization.]
Students Raise Money for Community Homeless Outreach Center
Students in Lynn Fasnacht’s IU 13 Deaf and Hard of Hearing classroom learned a powerful lesson while reading The Teddy Bear by David McPhail, and now they are paying it forward to others in the community. The students read the book and were profoundly moved by its message. The book tells about a young boy who donates his teddy bear to a homeless man. The beloved teddy bear brought a lot of joy to the little boy, who hoped it would do the same for the homeless man.
Students in Mrs. Fasnacht's classroom discussed the meaning of the book and how individual members of the community can pull together to help others in need. This sparked a fundraising idea! Fasnacht contacted Henry Holt and Company, which published the book, and secured a donation of 50 copies of the book. The books were then sold as part of the fundraiser. Shortly thereafter, the books were sold, raising $520, which was donated to the Community Homeless Outreach Center (CHOC) of Lancaster.
"I am proud of my students for caring about those who are less fortunate and wanting to help," commented Fasnacht. "I feel the experience has taught my students some wonderful life lessons and has inspired many people to give to those in need. Being able to give the money to the director of CHOC was a tangible way for the students to see the impact of our efforts. It is a wonderful way for us all to begin the holiday break. I am thankful that the book and project have given my students the opportunity to understand and show compassion for others."
Mrs. Lynn Fasnacht is a teacher for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing for Lancaster-Lebanon IU 13. The students in her classroom are in Grades 2, 3, and 4, and are from Hempfield, Columbia Borough, Manheim Central, Warwick, and Cornwall-Lebanon school districts. Her classroom is based in John Beck Elementary School in Lititz.
Students Collect 19 Boxes of Clothing
Kimberlee Kleine’s English as a Second Language (ESL) adult education class, in coordination with the Conestoga Valley High School Boys’ Basketball team, collected 19 boxes of clothing for the Leola Corner of Hope Clothing Bank. Clothing was collected on November 4th at the high school football game. Students from the ESL class and several boys from the basketball team gathered all the clothing, which was later sorted and packed into boxes for the program. Kimberlee used the experiences as part of her lesson on volunteerism. “This was truly a wonderful project that benefited CV and IU 13 students, as well as the community,” commented Kleine. “I am thankful to everyone who supported the project.”
Students Volunteer Their Time
Josh T. and Bobby W. are volunteering their time seeking donations for the Salvation Army this holiday season. Way to go, Josh and Bobby!
56 Meals Donated by IU 13 Staff
Frozen turkeys, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and all the “fixins” for a splendid Thanksgiving Day meal filled the refrigerators, hallways, and meeting rooms at IU 13 last week. Staff from across the organization pulled together meals for 56 IU 13 families suffering economic hardship. The IU 13 Staff Events Committee led the effort by providing the roasting pans, bags, and shopping lists, while dozens of employees joined in with donations of turkeys, stuffing, potatoes, and desserts. The lobby was festive as grateful families came to pick up their meals. For those families who were unable to make the trip, IU 13 social workers delivered the meals directly to their homes.
The holiday “giving bags” have become a tradition for IU 13 staff who go out of their way to support others in need. In addition to the bags, IU 13 social workers are coordinating the traditional “Mitten Tree” program where staff purchase holiday gifts for students in need as well as Clothing Drives to assist students; and departments are “adopting families” for the holiday season with hopes of bringing them some holiday cheer.
"I am humbled by the generosity of our IU 13 family,” commented Dr. Brian Barnhart, Assistant Executive Director for IU 13. “Whether it’s through the mitten tree presents, giving bags, food drives, etc., our staff members give to support others in need. They are so committed to making a difference in the communities we serve.”