December was an especially good month of service to the greater
community by Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria with both the “We Care
Week” and “Adopt-a-Family” projects. “We Care Week” is a diocesan initiative to
support Catholic Charities. This year, Ireton supported the Gabriel Project for
women and children.
The “Adopt-a-Family” project is run by the Student Government
Association and benefits families involved with Community Lodgings. Thanks to the
school community’s generosity, more than 60 children woke up with presents
under their Christmas tree.
“Our partnership with Community Lodgings started over 15 years
ago and they are located here in Alexandria,” said Mary Jordan, assistant
principal for student life. “It is a transitional housing program to help people
get back on their feet. The adults living at Community Lodgings are taught
trades and skills to help facilitate them getting good jobs. The kids that live
there are supported in school with tutors and also given help learning English.
These families don't have a lot of extra income, and need help to make
Christmas special, so that is where we come in.”
“Adopt-a-Family” is an opportunity for each advisory group to
work together in support of completing the wish list of one child.
Senior Aida Farah is in charge of “Adopt-a-Family” in Sonia
Faletti’s advisory. “Each advisory is given a kid and they make a list with all
the gifts that they want,” said Farah. “My advisory was given a girl who wants
headphones, a blanket and gift cards. Everyone in our advisory brings in $10 and
the seniors of our advisory go and get the gifts that our person wants.”
The Gabriel Project is a pregnancy assistance program that helps
mothers and their children. For “We Care Week,” the freshmen were tasked with
bringing in baby wipes. The sophomores brought diapers of all sizes. Juniors
were in charge of baby boy clothes and seniors got baby girl clothes. In
addition, we held a dress-out day that raised more than $1,000 in support of
Catholic Charities. By the end of the collection period, the school community
donated enough items to keep the shelves of the Gabriel Project stocked for the
long winter months.
Ireton gives its students and their families so many ways to help
the community and the December collections are just a small piece of community
service.
One of great things about Ireton is the opportunities presented
to help us learn how to be a good people and live our faith by helping others.
“I love that our school gives us the chance to help others in a
big way,” said junior Andrew Luzik. “It is an easy thing to do and makes a huge
difference in the lives of others in our community.”
Giving back also helps us all grow in our faith. “And the king
will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of
these least brothers of mine, you did for me’” (Mt 25: 40).