EC Students Continue to Make a Positive Impact through Community Service Projects
EC Students Continue to Make a Positive Impact through Community Service Projects

Serving Our Community

By Religious Studies Teacher and Campus Minister Paulina Thurmann

As the school year winds down, our students show no signs of slowing down with their involvement in community service projects! Students have been hard at work to make the world a kinder, more compassionate place through the many events happening both in and out of the schoolhouse. 

On campus, Service Club (hosted every Flex A and B by Ms. Thurmann) has made kindness rocks, cookie tins, fleece blankets, Valentine's cards and Little Free Libraries for local communities, such as Echo Glen, Issaquah Food Bank, Bellevue Shelter, Spiritwood, Sammamish YMCA and Eastside Baby Corner. Students earn 45 minutes of service for participating in the Service Club each time it is hosted. In addition, all students who attended Peace & Justice Day on April 7 earned four service hours as a symbol of their commitment to learning about and promoting peace and justice daily. Up next, sophomores will participate in a grade-level retreat which includes a day of service at various sites in the greater Seattle Area. Way to go, Crusaders!

Students paint a box as part of a community service project.

Students have also been serving at a multitude of off-campus locations, ranging from food banks to forest restoration sites, sports camps to site clean-ups, classrooms to community centers, and libraries to local lawn care. Plenty of opportunities are listed under Community Service on our Canvas page! Another place to find available service projects is on the EC Community Service Opportunities Padlet page, linked here. This Padlet is an excellent place for any EC student, staff or parent to post upcoming opportunities to serve — ranging from donation drive organization to Easter egg stuffing parties, tree planting and more! Sign-up deadlines are varied and ongoing, so visit the page to check it out!

The real beauty of volunteering through EC is that as much we value the “what, when, and where” of service, what we prize the most is the “why.” EC students care deeply about the whole community's well-being and want everyone to be included in that vision. In my time at EC, I have seen students strive to steward their gifts creatively that truly benefit others. Students are welcoming, curious, humble, loving and kind toward all they meet. As Service Coordinator, I constantly receive messages from outside organizations who are thankful for the hard work our students have done for them — all with smiles on their faces. It warms my heart to receive this positive feedback and thank you messages.

Students wrap cookies as part of a community service project.

Students, keep it up! Though we only have a few weeks left this school year, the needs in our community never go away. Keep serving, keep smiling and sign up to serve throughout the summer to help as well! We thank you for your continuous participation and look forward to even more success stories throughout the warmer months and into next year.

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