Hope Kids, St. Albert, Alberta
Thanks to the CMDRT, the Hope Kids Community Service program in St. Albert, Alberta is being rejuvenated. This out of school program had been on hold for three years. Thankfully, this
Hope-Focused Service-Learning program has been nurtured back into action.
Junior High students at Lorne Aikins School meet Thursdays during lunch hour with a Hope Foundation staff member. Their primary aim is to bring hope to those facing challenges within their community and thereby create hope and opportunities within their own lives too. Its a "win-win" situation. They started the school year volunteering at the local Food Bank drive. Since that time they have been busy preparing and selling "hope bags" donated by the St. Albert Rotarians. They plan on purchasing garden materials for a community Hope Garden project. Residents at Youville Home, a Continuing Care Centre will be joining the team on this project. Together, Hope Kids and residents at Youville Home will donate vegetables from their Hope Garden to the Food Bank in the fall.
As spring begins to blossom, the five Hope Kids are busy working on the newly formed core steering committee replete with an executive, by-laws and Hope Kids t-shirts. A school advisor has joined the committee to help sign up volunteers to assist with planning and implementing
school-wide "Hope projects" in the fall of 2009.
