Hillhurst students launch ‘Giving Good’ campaign
Heading into their third annual Giving Day campaign, Hillhurst Elementary students have moved away from collecting or buying and then giving items that may eventually be thrown away. Instead, the school is embarking on the “Giving Good Challenge,” asking students to offer their own time or talent to make someone else’s life better.
“We wanted to move our focus away from giving away stuff, to giving of yourself, and I’m amazed at what some of the kids have come up with,” said Jennifer Clark, a volunteer mom and Giving Good co-ordinator.
“Kids have been donating their time at community food outlets, volunteering, picking up litter at the park, taking meals to the elderly or just helping younger kids with their homework.”
Clark said previous Giving Campaigns had the kids creating crafts, from Santa Claus finger puppets to Popsicle stick frames, “and it felt like we had created so much waste.”
The school has also won a City of Calgary Achievement Award for its second-hand rummage sale, in which kids re-gift gently-used items from home to other kids in the school. They also ran a second-hand book sale, donating money earned to charities in the community.
“I felt like this year we needed to do something completely environmental,” Clark said. “And we hope this goes beyond just this month, that it becomes something the kids look to do every day, like brushing their teeth, so that it becomes part of their daily routine.”
School principal David Ball had parent organizers speak to all classes about Giving Time.
“Kindness, empathy and compassion are values that are best demonstrated through actions,” Ball said.
“Rather than giving ‘things,’ students will be encouraged to give their time to a cause, volunteer to do something selfless, to act with kindness or simply to do good.
“Our hope is the focus on these actions based on positive values over several weeks will get students more in the habit of thinking of others routinely.”