My students need sewing supplies to enable them to make quilts and stuffed animals that will be donated to community facilities for abused children and hospice patients.
There's a quote on my wall; "Be Someone Others Can Depend On".
Sewing projects for others with needs that are as great or greater than their own let my students live out this quote in a real way.
Help me give my students the chance to be someone others can depend on!
I am always amazed as I stop and watch my students.
Even though 75% of them are on free and reduced lunch and many struggle with their own daily needs, they reflect the epitome of hard work and kindness. Poverty has not put a damper on their spirit of learning or their willingness to give to others.
At our school teachers work to instill in students a focus that there is life beyond middle school and outside the 2-3 mile radius many live in.
We encourage our students to look past high school toward college, seek others they can help, and accept the diverse backgrounds they see everyday. This isn't always an easy task as many of our students come to school with varying support for school endeavors.
Having an opportunity to give back to the community just helps free students' minds to think about the many achievements and possibilities awaiting them.
Being part of the old saying "It is better to give than receive" provides a positive life experience that affects their heart.
My Project
The equipment needed will aid my students in successfully creating quilts and stuffed animals. These items will be donated to facilities in our own community for hospice patients and abused children.
This opportunity awakens how many of my students view the world. They see for themselves that others struggle just as they do, hurt just as they do, and need help just as they do. It opens their eyes to the importance of volunteerism and looking past oneself to the needs of others.
Through this endeavor students also build sewing skills that they can use throughout their lifetime. Sewing itself not only provides a hands-on experience but also helps reinforce reading skills, development of new vocabulary, following directions, decision-making, fine motor skills, reinforces patience, maximizes creativity and gives students a sense of accomplishment.
Tie that with volunteerism and it's an absolutely winning combination!
Many times opportunities for volunteering do not present themselves until later in one's adult life.
I believe that to instill in middle school students the desire to volunteer and help others is a stepping stone in creating strong, caring leaders of tomorrow. It also gives students a chance to find the strengths that lie inside of themselves and seek more opportunities to use them for others. Who knows? Maybe someday you or a loved one will receive a "gift" from the hands of a student.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. DeLapp and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.