On the heels of Valentine’s Day and Random Acts of Kindness Week it seems appropriate to highlight another story from our $10,000 Local Give.
Back in October of 2016 we asked people: “What good could you do with $100?” What was evident is that there’s no shortage of ways to do good in our communities – something that was proven over and over again by our dedicated participants – including teacher Heather Letkeman and the grade 4 class at North Glenmore Elementary School in Kelowna.
When Heather heard about the $10,000 Local Give, her wheels immediately began to turn and she was excited by the prospect of using this opportunity as a way to encourage empathy and community involvement with her Grade 4 students.
Heather and two other Grade 4 teachers asked their students to brainstorm ideas on what ways they could make a positive impact. In Dragon’s Den style, the students pitched their ideas to their class, and then collectively chose three initiatives they were going to complete. Each student then chose one of the three initiatives to lend their support to.
What did they do?
One group baked and packaged cookies… many, many cookies in the staff lunchroom and then took a walking field trip throughout the North Glenmore neighbourhood. They raked and bagged leaves and then left packages of cookies with notes on resident’s doorsteps. Imagine the surprise of coming home to a leaf-free yard and freshly-baked cookies. That’ll make anyone’s day a little brighter!
The second group worked together to decide on which items from the SPCA wish list they would purchase and then deliver to the local SPCA. Not only did they get to give back to this non-profit but had an opportunity to talk with some of the SPCA volunteers about what they do and why, learn about volunteer opportunities they could sign up for and of course, get a sneak peek at some of the animals.
And last but not least, the third group of students descended on Stuart Park in downtown Kelowna to hand out coffee donated by the Starbucks on Kane Road along with scarves, gloves and toques donated by Second Tyme Around to those they felt were in need of some kindness. This gesture of good will went a long way! “The feedback was phenomenal. People from all walks of life were grateful and numerous times we were thanked for making someone’s day”, shared Heather.
But that’s not all!
Although the class had committed to three acts of local good, the experience sparked a bigger idea. The students were so inspired that they decided to create monthly secret kindness missions around their local neighbourhood and for the students and teachers in their school. “We are so grateful for your $100”, said Heather. “It gave us an opportunity to spread kindness and teach the students about giving back.”
A big thank you from all of us at Interior Savings for helping us create a wave of local good – a wave that is now continuing beyond our own initiative. We can’t wait to see what you and your students do next!