Heather Coulter

Club Hope Service-Learning Project

Student Teaching Seminar EDE 434

Geneva College

March 30, 2021

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February 2021 Club Hope North Side Primary Service-Learning Project

Service Learning

Vanderbilt University defines service learning as "a form of experiential education where

learning occurs through a cycle of action and reflection as students seek to achieve real

objectives for the community and deeper understanding and skills for themselves” (Wolpert-

Gawron, 2016). Wikipedia provides a simpler definition of service learning as “an educational

approach that combines learning objectives with community service in order to provide a

pragmatic, progressive learning experience while meeting societal needs” (Wolpert-Gawron,

2016). Our class service project addressed Pennsylvania social studies state standard 5.2.2.C:

Identify community projects/activities that support leadership and public service. Students

learned about community service, kindness, and ways to show others love. We brainstormed

together ways students could show others in the community kindness and service. We then

completed a community service project for Club Hope within our community of Ellwood City-

creating cards and care bags for those in the community affected by cancer. The benefit of

incorporating service learning into the classroom is that it empowers students to be part of the

solution of real-world problems within their community. It also helps them to learn important

problem-solving skills. Crellin Elementary school principal Dana McCauley states, “Once students

are able to be actively involved in solving problems that have tangible outcomes, they become

more invested in solving other problems. This takes them deeper into the learning that they need

for finding those solutions. Because you're teaching kids to be critical thinkers, you're teaching

them to be reflective, and you're teaching them to be creative” (Edutopia, 2015). Service learning

also provides students with a sense of community, and their role within it. It teaches students

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important values and skills to become productive, contributing members of society- such as

teaching them empathy, kindness, service, and how to be positive members of society. McCauley

also states that, “When you can help kids see the impact they can have to solve a problem in their

own little corner of the world, it's an opportunity to learn something. It's an opportunity to make

something good happen- that gives them that sense of belonging and a sense of being a part of

something bigger. Here's an issue, here's a problem, and I'm going to lend my part to that”

(Edutopia, 2015). Service learning also provides students a real-world application for subject area

content and learning objects- such as in our classroom project, social studies content. This brings

content area to life for students through real-life experiences. Participants for our service project

included the student teacher, classroom teacher, students, Club Hope director and volunteers,

local cancer centers, and cancer patients.

Club Hope Service-Learning Project

As a previous Oncology and Hospice nurse, I found it meaningful to focus on a service

project for my second-grade classroom that focused on serving others in the community affected

by cancer. For my service-learning project, students created encouraging cards and prepared

patient care bags- filling them with items students, myself, and the community donated. Donated

items included items that may be comforting for patients’ undergoing treatment- such as warm

and fuzzy socks, crossword puzzles, personal-sized tissues, hand sanitizer, face masks, chap

stick, bath bombs, and “You are not alone, together we fight” bracelets. Students put the items

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together with their cards in care bags. These care bags were donated to Club Hope, to be

distributed to local cancer centers to benefit those in our community.

To prepare for the project, I contacted Cara Atkinson, Director of Club Hope. This is a

non-profit organization in Ellwood City, that provides services and assistance to those locally

affected by cancer. Cara created this non-profit organization after surviving thyroid cancer. She

is an emotional support teacher in the Ellwood City School District, and her foundation is

recognized by and supported by the school district and Ellwood City community. I first

discussed this idea for a service-learning project with my co-operating teacher, Mrs. Heather

Haswell, who was in support of this project for her classroom. I inquired with Cara if students

could create cards and care bags to donate to patients. She expressed that it would be much

appreciated, and that these care bags would be distributed to patients at local cancer centers for

those starting treatment. I then received approval from the principal at North Side Elementary,

Mr. Dan Parson- for permission for students to participate in this project, and to send a letter

home for parents regarding the project. As the school did not permit students to give Valentine

cards to each other this year, this provided the perfect opportunity for students to design and

create their cards. Students completed this on February 9 and 11th. Prior to creating the cards, I

read a book to students titled “A Little Spot of Love” by Diane Alber. I used this book as an

introduction to the service project. The class and I brainstormed before reading ideas they had

about the meaning of love. Words the students came up with included: care, kindness, friends,

and helping. This book discussed ways that people can show love to others. We discussed ways

that we could demonstrate love- through care and kindness, to people we know and even to those

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we do not know. Students came up with ideas such as smiling at someone, being a friend,

helping someone who is sick, writing someone a letter or making them a card, sharing with

someone, etc. We discussed that we were going to do a service project in which we show people

that are sick that we care- by writing words of encouragement and creating a care bag of

comforting items for them. I shared a quote with them by Anne Frank, “You can always, always

give something, even if it is only kindness!” Students then created beautiful cards of hope and

encouragement to share with patients. The outside of the cards said “Hope” and the inside said,

“Someone at North Side Primary” is thinking of you today!”. Students decorated these papers,

cut them, glued them, and added their own personal drawings and messages inside the cards.

Over the next two weeks, students and I brought in items to donate for the care bags.

Before we began putting together the care bags, we read a book titled “What Does It Mean to be

Kind?” by Rana DiOrio. This book discusses ways that children and people can show and spread

kindness to each other, their family, and in the community. The students and I brainstormed

ways that we could show kindness through acts of service to others. I discussed that our acts of

kindness and service were making our cards, donating items, and donating time to put the care

bags together. I told students that I would take the care bags to Club Hope to donate them.

Thanks to students, myself, and community donations we were able to donate 28 care bags full

of care items to patients. We also received 28 bags from a company in Zelienople, who donated

reusable drawstring bags for students to put care items into. The students had big smiles on their

faces as they filled the bags with items assembly line style. I posted pictures of the care bags and

cards on the classroom Google site, along with a thank you letter, for parents to see. I told my

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students how proud of them I was for the care they showed to members of their community.

Another fun aspect to this project is that my own children became involved in the project. They

helped me sort the cards, make additional cards, and place the cards in the bags that students

packed. They also helped me deliver the care bags to Club Hope. Cara, the director of Club

Hope, expressed her gratitude of the care bags from the students. She was especially excited that

they were donated by students in her own school district that she works in.

This service project benefited not just the students, but those in the community too. The

benefits for student participants includes discovery, service, and reflection for students. The

benefits for the teachers are service and to bring real life experience to the classroom. The

benefit for Club Hope, cancer centers, and patients are contributions from a local school

classroom of care items and cards.

Reflection

I learned some lessons during this service-learning project. The first lesson that I learned

is that students enjoy service-learning. They relish in doing something for others. Many students

voiced that it made them feel good inside to help others when making the cards and care bags. I

was surprised how seriously they took making the cards for Club Hope. Many even added their

own touches to their cards with a personal message or drawing added, such as hearts, “I love

you”, “You are strong”, etc. They put the same amount of care and concentration into packing

the bags. I also learned that when students engage in service learning, their self-esteem increases.

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It provides a sense of pride to do something for others instead of students just thinking about

themselves. I also learned the importance of being a role model for students, as some students

may not have care and compassion for others modeled for them at home. I also learned that

children have such a capacity for social-emotional learning and conversations. Reading the

books about showing love and kindness to others, along with the project, allowed for opportunity

for conversation and thought about caring for others and kindness. I was surprised at how deep

the conversations and responses from the class were. This project and the books allowed for

student self-reflection, too. I was also surprised by the amount of donations that were brought in

by students. By sending home a letter and posting about the project on our Google classroom,

this allowed parents an opportunity to feel involved in the process too.

Strengths of the project include student motivation and the opportunity to engage students

in discussion about loving others, caring, kindness, service, and community. I really think there

is value in making the time to talk to students about why it is important to help others, talk about

ways they can show kindness to others, and allow for discussion and self-reflection. Another

strength of the project is that it directly related to a cause and an organization that directly

impacts their community. It impacts a grass-root organization started by a teacher within the

school district. Some students even expressed that Club Hope had helped their own loved ones at

one time.

Weaknesses of the project related to lack of ability for students to go somewhere to

complete their service project due to COVID and social distancing restrictions. I think if we had

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been able to all go visit the Club Hope office to volunteer, or all go to donate the items to their

office or the cancer centers, it would have given a more concrete ending to our service project.

To improve the project, I would expand the project to be grade or school wide. The

principal did express that he would like to expand the project in the future, but due to timing and

cost of items to donate, I could help purchase items to help out my classroom but not the whole

grade or school for this project. In the future students could fundraise and donate gift cards or

money to Club Hope to help patients buy food, provide cleaning services, or care services. Or,

after fundraising, items could be purchased to allow for grade or school-wide participation in

creating care bags to donate. Cards are very inexpensive to make and were an incredibly positive

and cheap addition to the care bags. To make this a school-wide effort in the future, each class

could make cards. I would also expand the books and lessons we had on social-emotional

learning, kindness, and love for others. I feel this could become a whole unit, or a weekly social

studies lesson that could be incorporated into my classroom, with service projects spread

throughout the year for the students to participate in. We could even establish a “Service Club

Name” each year for our classroom to increase the connectedness and team effort of students.

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Works Cited

Wolpert-Gawron, H. (2016, November 07). What the heck is service learning? Retrieved March

28, 2021, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/what-heck-service-learning-heather-

wolpert-gawron

Edutopia. (2015, November 10). Empowering kids to be part of the solution. Retrieved March

28, 2021, from https://www.edutopia.org/practice/real-world-problem-solving-project-

based-solutions