A generation ago, community service was seen as a punishment. People would picture prisoners picking up trash on the side of the road. The past few years, Generation Z has been picking up its parents’ slack and jumping feet first into community service. This year, Trinity Prep students will finish constructing their 15th Habitat for Humanity house.
Most recently, a group of sixth graders assembled to collect clothing for the less fortunate.
When English teacher Lenna Bowden read her sixth grade students “Summer on the Moon” by Adrian Fogelin, she wanted the students to be able to relate to the protagonist, Socko, and the struggles he went through. Socko is an inner-city kid who lives in an underprivileged neighborhood. He and his friend Damien try to avoid the local gang. When Socko and his mother move in with his grandfather, his life changes, and he faces a series of tests concerning his own nature, the nature of the world and his place in it.
Bowden showed her classes a “60 Minutes” episode about homeless children in Seminole County and how viewers could make a difference by donating clothes and shoes to the Families in Transition, or FIT, fund.
Not long after, the news about FIT spread across Trinity’s student body.
“We were in assembly when Mrs. Wilbur’s Builders Club announced that they were collecting donations for FIT,” Bowden said. “When I asked Mrs. Wilbur about it, she told me that a 7th grader, Robbie Witten, was leading the charge in this donation drive.”
“My family has been involved in supporting the abandoned, neglected and abused children of Central Florida,” Witten said. “[My grandmother] introduced me to the head of Families in Transition. [She] told us that these kids need clothes and help with their school work. I have enjoyed helping provide the clothing and also helping the younger kids with school work.”
In April, Bowden further explained to her students that many of their friends may come from schools in Seminole County. She encouraged them to “bring literature to life” and help out kids like Socko by donating to FIT.
One week later they brought in almost 2,000 articles of clothing, shoes and backpacks.
“Even though [the students] may not live that lifestyle, they have compassion and sympathy for those who do,” Bowden said.
Sixth grader Tara Wisniewski was the first student to bring in donations for FIT. She knew she need to help the cause when she saw friends from previous schools who were homeless and in need of clothes.
Mamush and Kayamo Galloway have each brought in more than 100 items. The brothers spend some of their free time giving back. Kaymo explains that he and his family feed the homeless and donate books to the library.
“I feel like there is one less person that needs help when I help them,” Mamush said.
Lucy Holt explained why she wants to donate.
“I felt bad for the kids that were living in their cars. I knew that they would be super happy, even if the clothes were torn or dirty,” she said. “They are grateful for anything they get.”
The Class of 2020 has gone above and beyond in its efforts to give back to the community. By collecting donations for the underprivileged children, they have changed lives in ways that some people cannot fathom.
Author Adrian Fogelin was very impressed when she found out about the inspiration that her book gave to the sixth grade.
“Please thank [the sixth graders] for caring and for sharing, and for grasping the fact the world looks very different to families that struggle every day with poverty,” Fogelin wrote in an email to Bowden. “Maybe one of the steps toward change is for those who are comfortable to understand the lives of those who have less.”
