Boettcher Scholars Across the Country Make a Difference through Service

12 Nov Boettcher Scholars Across the Country Make a Difference through Service

Boettcher Scholars participated in coordinated service events as part of the national 2018 Make a Difference Day on October 27. Scholars organized and publicized volunteer opportunities to local Scholars in communities across the country. We were thrilled to see the impact our scholars had in their regions and the joy they experienced as they reconnected. Below are reports from sites where Scholars worked to make a difference.

Colorado Springs
Care and Share Food Bank of Southern Colorado

Eight Boettcher Scholars gathered to create more than 400 food packs at Care and Share Food Bank of Southern Colorado. They worked with assembly-line efficiency and an enthusiastic attitude to support the “Send Hunger Packing” program, which aims to feed families over weekends when students don’t have access to free or reduced meals. The volunteer tasks involved preparing and sorting bulk food, quality checks, and ensuring that the meal kits were complete. At the end of the day, 481 families had access to a weekend’s worth of meals as a result of the project.

Boulder/Denver
A Precious Child

Fifteen past and present Boettcher Scholars and their family members had a hands-on introduction to A Precious Child’s mission as they sorted donations to ensure that high-quality items made it to the families served as quickly as possible. Volunteers helped hang, size, and re-stock approximately 1,000 pounds of donated clothing that will serve 115 children who come to A Precious Child to receive clothing and other necessary items.

East Coast/ Washington D.C.
United Community Food Bank

Unfortunately, inclement weather on the East Coast caused projects in New York and North Carolina to be cancelled. However, Washington D.C./Baltimore area Boettcher Scholars were able to move from their nature preserve project to an indoor project utilizing their bilingual skills to help facilitate a food bank survey. They partnered with United Community Food Bank in Alexandria to help promote locally produced fruits and vegetables for the health and wellness of consumers. Kitty Shaw-Gardner also employed her creativity to craft a sign for their group that recognized the cross-country efforts of scholars on Make a Difference Day 2018.

Fort Collins
Habitat for Humanity ReStore and FoCo Cafe

Current and Alumni Boettcher Scholars and their families spent the day partnering with Habitat for Humanity Restore in the morning and FoCo Café in the afternoon. Scholars at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore to helped to upcycle and/or demolish furniture that needed to move through the store and hauled doors throughout the facility as well. At FoCo Cafe, Scholars helped make fresh food and freshen the ambiance for the restaurant with the mission of providing nutritious and locally sourced meals to the people of Fort Collins, regardless of their ability to pay. A handful of the volunteers celebrated the day with lunch, connecting and discussing plans for continued service.

Phoenix 
Public Lands Clean-up

In Arizona two Boettcher Scholars ventured into area national park lands, cleaning trash along trails and waterways and talking to fellow adventurers to spread an attitude of gratitude as they reveled in the beauty of the parks.