How our Sophomore class gathered essential supplies for the less fortunate   
By Charles Cleveland

We are in the season of giving. With Thanksgiving just passed and Christmas right around the corner, people all over the Field community are working to get thoughtful gifts for their loved ones. But many of us sometimes forget how fortunate we are, so this year the school decided to have every grade do our own type of community service. These projects range from toy drives to home decor, and what our 10th graders did, gathering sanitation supplies for the less fortunate. The supplies included toothbrushes, blankets, towels, and deodorant, all that were donated to a homeless shelter based in the DMV. On November 29th, the 10th grade was able to pull together dozens of different items for the less fortunate– the whole effort was led by Field students.

Our 10th grade team chose The National Center for Children and Families, a non profit organization based in Bethesda, Maryland. “They are an organization trying to create change and help shape the lives of the less fortunate and give people the support that is needed to succeed. We chose them because we wanted an organization that aligned with Field’s core values.” Said Sophomore Ashleigh. Those values being community support, education and training, volunteerism, and advocacy. “We thought that these were very closely aligned with our Field values and we wanted to stay connected as a Field community.” And the Field community can stay connected by continuing to donate to homeless shelters all around the DMV area.

Ashleigh, a Field sophomore and primary leader of the group, spoke about her experience planning the project. “To begin, we had to vote on what we wanted to do for the project… Once we had our shelter, we figured out what they needed and divided the list of items between the advisories. A large part of the organization went into getting dates and dividing the work, and because we didn’t want to just set up boxes around the field and wait, we had to make some strict deadlines.” And strict deadlines they did make. All the items were due at the school on Tuesday, November 29th. That gave our 10th graders just over a week to pull all their items together to be sent to the shelter. 

Ashleigh was not initially put into the leadership role, but took it up out of necessity. “A whole group of volunteers came to the meeting and we all thought of ideas, and honestly it was chaos, so I decided that we needed some leadership because there was no teacher and everyone was confused.” She picked up the slack and took charge of the project, and she has gained a new appreciation for volunteering and community service. “I like leadership roles, especially in our grade because I feel really connected to all the people in our grade” She is even considering running for student government at the end of this school year.  

Community service doesn’t have to be on a large scale like what the 10th grade has been doing, though. It can be going outside and picking up trash, volunteering at a food bank, or helping build something for your local shelter. Ashleigh and the rest of the 10th grade provide a great example of what giving back this winter can look like in your home, and any help you can give to people less fortunate than you is good. DC has some of the highest homelessness rates of any city in the US, so your help can change the lives of many people throughout your area. If you’re still not sure what you can do, The National Center for Children and Families can always use your support, especially in these coming months. So donate some blankets or old winter coats, volunteer at a food bank near your, or give some money to people in need.