Crusader Kindness Closet hopes to address needs of all students
Kindness is a main theme of Catholic Schools Week this year for the Elk County Catholic School System. To kick off the week on Monday, students at Elk County Catholic High School and St. Marys Catholic Middle School were asked to donate items for a new endeavor called the Crusader Kindness Closet.
John Schneider, principal of both Elk County Catholic High School and St. Marys Catholic Middle School, explained that the Crusader Kindness Closest is being created to be a resource for all students who are in need.
“The need could be because of a temporary issue like a forgotten clothing item needed for that day, like gym clothes, or for those with more significant needs,” Schneider said.
The Crusader Kindness Closet will also contain items such as toiletries, cleaning and laundry supplies, and nonperishable food items. Additionally, the Crusader Kindness Closet will also contain school supplies such as backpacks, as well as new and gently used school uniforms, gym clothes, sweatshirts, hats, gloves, scarves, socks, and similar items.
Schneider credited faculty member Lisa Daghir with coming up with the idea for the endeavor.
“Mrs. Lisa Daghir, a faculty member at the middle school, brought up the possibility of having a space for this purpose. From there, Mrs. Daghir and other members of the faculty have worked to make the Crusader Kindness Closet a reality. We are aware that some other schools in the area have created similar spaces for students, and Mrs. Daghir felt there was a need here in our school for that type of program.”
The Crusader Kindness Closet will be located in a small room inside the school's library.
“The room is in a central location for all of our students to be able to use and easily access,” Schneider said.
Schneider stressed that the Crusader Kindness Closet will be accessible for all students.
“If there is something they need, they are welcome to come to the Kindness Closet and take the items they need,” Schneider said. “It may be a need for that particular day, like school supplies they may have forgotten or if they forgot a pair of socks for an after-school activity, or if the child has a more significant need for personal care items at home or perhaps something for dinner that night (those items will be available as well). The variety of items we have collected will be able to address a wide variety of needs for the students of the school.”
Each year during Catholic Schools Week, Elk County Catholic High School and St. Marys Catholic Middle School try to engage in a school-wide service project, Schneider noted.
“Over the years, there have been a variety of projects we have undertaken. In 2022, we created the boxes of love for local first responders. In 2021, we collected items for our local service agencies like CAPSEA,” Schneider said. “The Crusader Kindness Closet is a nice way to address the needs of some of the students and families in the building.”
For Monday's donation, students in each class were asked to bring in items within a specific category to help stock the Crusader Kindness Closet.
“One class was asked to bring in personal care items, soap, shampoo, and deodorant. Some classes were asked to bring in school supplies. Another group brought in non-perishable food items. Socks and blankets were also collected. The faculty and staff were asked to bring in new or gently used clothing items,” Schneider said. “Overall, the response was wonderful. The collection certainly exceeded our expectations.”
Schneider added that the hope is that the collection and implementation of the Crusader Kindness Closet will have a positive impact on students.
“We hope that our students gain a greater appreciation of the needs of others and that there are those among us everyday with needs that you may not have any awareness of,” Schneider said. “Second, we hope to develop a strong sense of service within our students. It really aligns with the mission of our school and our mission as an organization of the Catholic Church.”
Catholic Schools Week activities are scheduled to continue throughout the Elk County Catholic School System through the end of the week.