Students participate in Families in Action Day
April 12, 2016
As freshman Hallel Samson scooped horse dung at a local horse farm, others wrote letters to sick children, taught the elderly to use technology or made bracelets to give to homeless children as part of CESJDS’ form of the Samuel J. Lessans Good Deeds Day, known as Families in Action Day
The JDS parent association hosts Families in Action Day on Good Deeds Day. Good Deeds Day is a global event where millions of people from around the world give back to their communities. On a local level, according to The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, 800,000 people volunteered in honor of Good Deeds Day.
For Families in Action Day, JDS organized a collection of different programs on site at the Lower School campus as well as additional activities off-site in the Greater Washington area.
In honor of Families in Action Day, junior Benjamin Katz went to the lower school campus to write letters to sick children. These letters will be given to young patients at the Children’s Inn at NIH and other local hospitals for children.
“Not only did I have to color in some [letters], but I had to come up with inspirational, yet not [overly hopeful] messages,” Katz said.
Other students worked off-site, including Samson who volunteered at Days End Farm Horse Rescue in Woodbine, Md. The farm is made up of both rescue horses and donated horses. Samson chose this activity because of her love of horses. She learned that it is not easy to take care of horses and keep them in “good condition.”
At the end of the day, JDS hosted a barbecue in the Upper School gym and cafeteria. At one of the lunch tables, sophomore Talia Cohen organized a bracelet making activity to give to homeless children. Cohen is in charge of community service activities for the tenth-grade government.
“I think it’s really important [to give back on Good Deeds Day] because a lot of times we forget about how privileged we are to live in this kind of community,” Cohen said. “It’s important because we have a lot to give back to the community, especially as Jews.”
The barbecue also included a performance from JDS’ high school a cappella group, Shir Madness.
Freshman Mia Drexler was among the choir members.
“I think it’s really important to help the community and everyone who is less fortunate than us and [Good Deeds Day] is a really good way to come together and do it,” Drexler said.
