Stories

As part of its ongoing partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area (BBBSBA), every year, Northern California Student Corps chapters present a check as a donation to BBBSBA. This year was no different. On Saturday, August 13, a number of Fremont chapter members showed up at BBBSBA’s annual picnic, held at Quarry Lakes Regional Park this year. The picnic celebrates the successes of Big-Little relationships, both new and established.

Students were tasked with running activity stations, such as arts and crafts and gift distribution, along with making sure people had a good time in general. The frisbee painting station in particular saw great interest from dozens of people. At the end of the day, over 40 frisbees, each with dramatic and unique designs, were given out to Big-Little pairs. Student Corps looks forward to the partnership’s future!

Written by Steven Wang

On July 29th and 30th, over 20 students from across Lexington held a fundraiser in support of Shriners Children’s Hospitals in Boston, a hospital providing free treatment for children with various life-altering injuries. The team raised a total of $1392 dollars, far surpassing their original goal of $800.

The team of students, consisting of both Student Corps members and volunteers from other nonprofit organizations, prepared gift bags and drinks to be given out. Volunteers were split into teams, splitting off across town to raise money for the cause. Many teams reported lots of gratitude from other residents. “The kids were so nice and polite.”, said a senior Lexington resident. Despite the intense heat and long hours, each volunteer displayed commitment and dedication. Phenomenal teamwork was shown between the teams, with some exchanging guidance and strategies, and others sharing gift bags with teams that had run out.

The Lexington Minuteman Chapter hopes to even more fundraisers and student-led initiatives in the near future.

Written by Leo Qian, Fundraising Director

Since the start of the pandemic, education has become one of the foremost challenges for educators and students alike. Over 25 Northern California Student Corps volunteers made their mark by working with the Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT) once each in April and June 2022. RAFT prides itself on being a resource hub for STEAM educators, featuring affordable recycled supplies, project ideas and workshops for educators, and countless project kits that promote hands-on learning.

On April 16th, 2022, eight students and parents gathered in a limited-capacity environment to sort and assemble over 1400 STEAM education kits. The kits constituted RAFT’s first-ever project set outside of the San Francisco Bay Area, as they were due to be sent to Washington D.C. Students and parents alike left RAFT feeling a sense of achievement after playing a key role in the milestone.

Two months later, on June 25, twenty students again gathered at RAFT to sort and pack various just-delivered supplies. Three hours of hard work allowed the packed supplies to become integral components of over 100,000 kits to be sold and distributed throughout communities.

Both events addressed the needs of numerous schools and communities and brought attention to an oft-overlooked issue, but perhaps just as importantly, both events proved to be great opportunities for forming relationships between and among students and parents.

By Steven Wang

On April 2nd, 2022, students from the Eirene Chapter held a fundraiser for the Dynamo Fencing Foundation — a local team focused on supporting the Ukrainian people forced to fight against the invasion and destruction of their homes. These students baked cookies to spread love and awareness for Ukraine throughout Boston. With their work, $245 was raised to fight for the peace and wellness of all. Amazing work per usual, and I urge students to also do their part in fighting against the inhumane actions of others!

On Sunday, January 16, 2022, around 1:30 PM, four students from the North Kentucky Student Corps chapter along with their parents arrived at StoryPoint Prospect, a senior living home. The students intended to donate 100 face masks, including 60 N95 masks, to the facility. Included with the donated masks were cotton masks which had been handmade by the students themselves. After meeting with the manager Mrs. Emily Peck, they went through all the necessary Covid checks.

Following the donation, the students and parents accepted a tour of the facility by Mrs. Peck. They were given a detailed description of the primary operations of StoryPoint Prospect while being able to see much of the facility. After the tour, the students discussed the possibility of volunteering for StoryPoint Prospect to help care for the senior residents.

Mrs. Peck was grateful for the proposal and welcomed all the students to sign up for volunteering service if the living home Covid regulation allows later. The North Kentucky Student Corps chapter members hope to volunteer for StoryPoint Prospect on a more regular basis in the near future.

By Oliver Li