High school students often want to do something big—something that provides recognition that they are able to step out and take on the world. Sometimes the focus is so much on making an impact that the importance of little things is overshadowed.
But my grandma always said, “Many hands make light work,” and how true this is. Dakota Adventist Academy’s community service day was all about the little things that add up to something big.
United Way owns an emergency shelter in downtown Bismarck, North Dakota, that helps families get back on their feet. DAA paired up with United Way to give this facility a spring cleaning: doing laundry, scrubbing, and organizing and inventorying supplies.
Some students and staff spent the day working at the laundromat. Customers commented that even after a full day the group was still smiling and enjoying working together. It would have taken the few who work at the Sunrise Shelter weeks to do the same amount of work.
At another site, DAA’s construction class students used their skills to help Jeana Eszler, the academy’s registrar, who has chosen to stay home with her newborn son next school year. Since she has given so much of her time to DAA’s students, they wanted to give back by helping her and her husband get their new home ready to move into. Plaster and lath had to come down, and walls had to be braced and taken down, then rebuilt to configure to the new layout. DAA students loved being part of building her future with her family.
Sometimes it is not about stepping out and taking on the world, but rather about working to create a collaborative impact. The many hands of students and staff were able to lighten the workload on community service day, creating an impact together.
—Tracy Petersen, Dakota Adventist Academy Recruiter.
