The students of Grace Christian Academy (GCA) in Minden recently visited various local community service agencies and organizations to volunteer their time as part of the school’s Second Annual Serve-a-thon. GCA dedicates a week each school year to serve agencies and organizations within the area. Local businesses, corporations as well as private donors pledge money donations to the school in the fundraising effort that has the added benefit of developing character within the students. The goal of the school’s administration is that by participating in community volunteerism, it will instill a strong work ethic into the students and that they will continue to be service minded as they get older. Letters were sent out to local organizations several months ago inquiring if their respective group’s needed help with specific projects or any general volunteer needs.
The fifth through eighth grades completed work on the Sierra Canyon Trail north of Genoa in collaboration with the Carson Valley Trails Association. According to Jeremy Vlcan, the board member in charge of trail building, the students cleared the first half mile or so of the trail. “It was a big help and the kids enjoyed it. I would welcome getting help again next year,” he said.
Numerous grade levels participated in completing a project for the Douglas County Backpack Buddies Consortium, a local group that provides bagged lunches for children that would otherwise not have enough to eat. Julia Coleman, the volunteer coordinator, said that the Grace Christian Academy students packed approximately three hundred bags of food to be distributed to local schools such as Gardnerville Elementary and Douglas High School. “I have nothing but good things to say. Those kids were great. I was impressed with how well the little kids did and how fast they were. They were willing to work and I hope they come back next year,” stated Coleman. The three hundred bags that the Grace Christian Academy students packed represented the average amount of lunches that the consortium distributes in each week. “We function because of volunteers. We typically have ten regular volunteers, so those kids got the week’s worth done,” said Coleman.
The students at Grace Christian Academy also visited the Douglas County Senior Center. Travis Lee coordinated service work centers for GCA students. The children washed the DART buses, inventoried food in the pantry, pulled weeds and spent time visiting with and making cards for the seniors. “I really enjoyed that time with the kids. They were so serious about getting the work done but they also had fun. I would welcome them any time,” said Linda Skaggs, the DART transportation coordinator. “The seniors just had smiles on their faces. They absolutely loved it when those kids walked in. The kids wanted to be involved with the seniors which was neat to see,” stated Skaggs.
The other volunteer work completed by the students during the week included the kindergarten through second graders visiting the residents at Merrill Gardens Assisted Living, drawing pictures with them and reciting poems and Bible verses. The Eagle Valley Children’s home, a residential care facility for the developmentally disabled in Carson City, was visited by the fifth grade class which played games and completed a craft with the children. Sixth grade students performed spring cleaning projects at the Community Pregnancy Center in Carson City and the seventh grade students completed landscaping projects such as weeding and planting flowers for the Advocates to End Domestic Violence also in Carson City.
It was an all-around successful week of serving in the community by the Grace Christian Academy students. The serve-a-thon also helped the school to towards its annual fundraising needs.
Enrollment for the 2012-2013 year is now open. Kindergarten students who enroll for the 2012-2013 academic year will be eligible for a 20% discount. Please contact Grace Christian Academy for any questions, (775) 782-7811. Also, if you are interested in supporting the school through donations, as a volunteer, or by any other means, please contact our Director of Development at dustin.development@gcanevada.org.