On Wednesday, December 8, the Garretson Middle School Student Council and REACH students went on a field trip with the express intent to do acts of kindness.
Over the past month, students have been collecting pet food for the Humane Society, pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House, and items such as toiletries, hats, gloves, and food for Veterans Outreach.
The school then sponsored a trip to Sioux Falls, allowing the students to present the items, learn more about how they would be used, and meet some of the people who would be impacted by the donations.
During the trip, students also placed money in parking meters and handed out coffees and cake pops to random people downtown. They stopped into local businesses and gave notes to employees which read, "You Are: Strong, Talented, Amazing, Enough." Several of the notes also appeared on Garretson business windows.
"I need help finding the middle school boy who came into my work and gave this to me! He turned my whole day around with something so simple and I would love to do the same in return!" wrote Caitlyn Doescher on Garretson Living. She quickly discovered that it was an act of kindness from the students as a thank you for accommodating a large group with little notice at her place of employment, and organizers were glad to hear they had an impact.
Responses to Doescher included parents, who remarked their child had a lot of fun doing the project and looked forward to doing it again. GHS school counselor Michelle Pliska stated she was proud of the students, each of whom represented the school well.
The Veterans Outreach program through Volunteers of America is still looking for donations of winter coats and blankets, and encourages anyone who is looking for a place to donate to consider them as an option.
