Student Service Learning has been a popular class with staff and students alike. Students are a teacher’s “helper” and/or tutor in the classroom for one period every day. In addition, SSL students are required to perform a service project.  

Students choose where and how they want to help the community locally and/or nationally. They plan, organize, and execute all stages of the project.  

For some, the independent project that requires leadership is a struggle. They want to do something “easy.”

Three students have not let fears get in the way. Seniors Delaney Tregoning and Gracie Ruble decided to raise money through donations from Linganore staff and students for a CROP Walk. Krystal Knott has chosen to work with the One Warm Coat organization.

CROP Walk

The CROP Walk, which Delaney and Gracie participated in on October 21, is a 10K walk in downtown Frederick. Each team raised money and the donations are given to local food banks and kitchens in an effort to end hunger. Delaney and Gracie’s team consisted of just the two of them.

“Gracie and I chose to participate in the CROP Walk for our SSL project because one of my mom’s friends told me about it. I found it interesting because it helps those who are hungry. In participating in the CROP Walk, you are truly walking for a cause,” said Delaney.

For a week in mid-October, Delaney and Gracie asked Linganore advisement classes to donate change. They raised over $160, a little beyond their original $150 goal.

Ms. Ericsson’s class won with a total of $27. Delaney and Gracie provided this class with donuts as a sign of their appreciation.

“Over the process of this project I’ve learned that it’s important to help the needy when you are more fortunate,” said Delaney. She also offers a wise tip for future SSL students: “Go bigger than the soup kitchen.”

Gracie adds: “Do the project early. It makes it easier in the long run.”

Just because the walk ended doesn’t mean hunger does. To find dates for upcoming walks in your area, or to donate, please visit http://www.churchworldservice.org/site/PageServer?pagename=crop_main.

One Warm Coat  

The One Warm Coat organization collects coats from around the country and donates them to those in need. According to their published mission statement One Warm Coat’s dream is to “become a part of the American lifestyle; that when a coat is no longer needed, people will think of us and donate it; that donors will be warmed by the knowledge that their coats will go directly to children, women and men in need.”

Over 3 million coats have been distributed through One Warm Coat.

Junior Krystal Knott has set a box in Linganore’s front office for students and staff to donate gently used coats. Every coat will be used in the Frederick area because they are being distributed through the Frederick Rescue Mission.

“One Warm Coat provides the instructions, tools, and resources for people across the country to organize and hold a coat drive. The coat drive organizers collect coats and select a local agency to receive the coats. That way the coats are donated and distributed locally, allowing each coat donor to help a ‘neighbor’ in need,” said One Warm Coat’s President Jennifer Stockard.

“I chose this organization because it helps people get in touch with other organizations that hand the coats out to the homeless and anyone who need them,” said Krystal.

“The need for coats is larger than you might think. One child out of every five children is living in poverty. Many families must make a choice between paying their utility bills and purchasing food and because coats are expensive, many are forced to go without. School children across the country make their way to school each day without a warm coat. Many of the working adults living below poverty are waiting out in the cold for the bus or for their ride to work. Elderly people that have very limited budgets become housebound during the winter because they cannot afford a coat,” said Stockard.

 “From this project I expect to learn how to organize and to encourage others to give back to the community. My one tip to future SSL students is to find a good cause that will help the local community,” said Krystal.

To find a coat drive near you, or to start your own, please visit http://onewarmcoat.org/.