sharing
Share our time, our talents, and our energy Many institutions have mission statements and mottos that reside in dusty archives. Not so with the Robert C. Parker School, whose motto reads: { } In caring for others, our community, and ourselves, we: Reach out to others with kindness Speak and act with respect Strive for understanding of difference Share our time, our talents, and our energy This motto lives vibrantly through every child at Parker School, where each class gets involved in annual service projects. Shelly Failing’s 6th grade class decided to spearhead a school-wide food and clothing drive in the fall of <strong>2008</strong>. As they geared up with posters, flyers and classroom visits designed Street Ministry Program Highlights Street Ministry provides food, clothing, job coaching, and other necessities to those in need in our community. In <strong>2008</strong>, Unity House: • Supplied 6,093 three-day food supplies to families. • Provided 990 families with holiday food baskets. • Sent 1,502 families to work and school wearing free clothing and household items from the Unity House’s Unique Boutique Thrift Store. to encourage donations, the students also considered which charity they wanted to support with their “time, talent, and energy.” As a group, they determined that “local” and “nondenominational” were important features to them, and Unity House was chosen to be the beneficiary. Donations began to pour in: mountains of clean, warm clothing just in time to ward of winter, and all kinds of nonperishable food. The students were most impressed when five cartons of “Whoppers,” a popular candy, were donated. When the drive ended, the work for the sixth-grade class was only half over. Transporting the donations to Unity House was a project in itself, involving three trips to Unity House, two of them with Shelly’s piled-high pick-up truck. The students also made the trip into Troy to take a tour of Unity House’s food pantry and thrift store to better understand the needs of children and families less fortunate. These students, who among them plan careers as doctors, designers, and artists, will certainly take this experience with them as they grow into fully engaged members of their communities. Many thanks to Ms. Failing’s 6th grade class: Jonah Bremenkamp, Kiki Cunningham, Zara Davis, Jakub Failing, Will MacClarence, and Joel Olzak. ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2008</strong> 3