Westminster Reaches Out to the Community

Westminster students and faculty spent Oct. 5 extending a helping hand in communities across Connecticut. They boarded buses and vans early in the morning for a school-wide Service Day and traveled to Salisbury, Ashford, Avon, Hartford, Burlington, South Windham and downtown Simsbury to volunteer for a variety of charities and organizations. They spent the day entertaining senior citizens and young children, performing yard work for those in need, cleaning green spaces, and assisting with program activities.

Among the places they visited were Camp Chase, Camp Horizons, Camp Hole in the Wall, the American School for the Deaf’s Camp Isola Bella, Reggio Magnet School of the Arts, Hartford Food Share, Simsbury Social Services, Simsbury Parks and Recreation, Simsbury Board of Education, Simsbury Public Works, Eno Hall Senior Center and Roaring Brook Nature Center.

“I had a great time with the kids seeing them work hard in every job they were given,” said Sara Deveaux, head of the Language Department, about volunteering with Fourth Formers at Camp Horizons. The camp provides high-quality residential, recreational, support and work programs for people who are developmentally disabled or who have other challenging social and emotional needs. “When our students were told that they were going to wash windows, make beds, move furniture and rake leaves, there wasn't one objection to be heard,” she said. “They all did their jobs, talked and, hopefully, had fun working to help out! We watched a short film and presentation about the camp and who it serves, and I think the kids really appreciated being able to put faces behind their tasks.”

At Food Share in Hartford, 15 Sixth Formers and three faculty members bagged 11,000 pounds of food. “Every member of the team was a huge contributor and worked hard,” said Westminster librarian Pam McDonald. “I think everyone broke a sweat at some point during this comfortably cool day, just standing (or bending over deep into a huge crate), sorting and bagging potatoes and apples. We worked hard from the time we arrived at about 8:30 a.m. until 2:15 p.m., with three breaks, plus lunch. We had informal competitions about who could bag the most and enjoyed the teamwork.”

At Reggio Magnet School of the Arts in Avon, Westminster volunteers helped Pre-K through first grade students in their classes and brought show and tell items. “I especially liked giving a talk to the kids about music,” said Corey Smith ’11, who played his guitar.

And at Eno Memorial Hall in Simsbury, where volunteers entertained senior citizens with a musical presentation and cleaned up the grounds, Simsbury Community Television (SCTV) interviewed faculty member Gloria Connell, Westminster’s Director of Community Service, about the day’s activities. A segment about Westminster’s Service Day is airing on the community news program, “Headlines” for two weeks.

"Learning to serve others is not a discipline of the mind or body but rather a habit of the heart," said Gloria about her reflections on the day. "Volunteering can never be measured by time or numbers because the greatest value is gained by those who give."