service-minded

one of the characteristics i have noticed about many of the students at the school where i teach is that they are very service-minded. from the first month i was employed, students with the French club helped organize a fundraiser for breast cancer research by selling t-shirts...one of which i wear proudly every other friday (jeans day).

later, when the haiti earthquake devasted the lives of so many people, the students instantly began finding ways to raise money to send to the impoverished, hurt country. they sold bracelets and t-shirts to collect their funds. (*side note: my awesome brother and his friends undertook a similar endeavor at their school by selling bracelets to send funds to UNICEF in haiti)

over the past month or so, the national honor society has lead the charge on a fundraiser in conjunction with the make a wish foundation. a young girl battling cancer in the community of our school has the wish to go to hawaii with her family. these students set a goal of $6000 to make this little girl's wish come true. they met that goal. through $1 balloons and $10 t-shirts, the students of my school showed their love to a child most of them did not know but instantly cared for deeply.

today, we had a special recognition of this little girl and the accomplishments of our students' awesome fundraising. all of the balloons sold were released simultaneously in our parking lot. a few of the students around me were even teary-eyed at the site of the balloons and what they represented.

needless to say, i was very proud of these students today. i think students like this and students like my brother & his friends remind us that some of today's young people really do stand out from the rest. they really do care about those around them in their community and the world.