The results of Greenbriar School’s first-ever weeklong, school-wide, community service project will require about 20 carloads to deliver, according to parent volunteer Urmi Graft.
The Northbrook school auditorium was transformed into a workshop where every class spent 30-60 minutes working on age-appropriate projects throughout the week, according to a news release. The results: 1,300 meal kits for Ronald McDonald House in Oak Lawn and more than 1,500 bracelet craft kits & handmade joke cards for Camp One Step, an organization that supports pediatric cancer patients and their families.
Organized by the Greenbriar PTO Family Service Committee, everyone had the opportunity to get involved, the release said. Families contributed by purchasing the food supplies through an Amazon Wishlist, about 40 parent volunteers helped with the student workshops, and still more volunteers will help deliver the assembled kits to the charities.
“It’s been a giant group effort,” Graft, who organized the project along with Rachel Copenhaver and Jocelyn Reynolds., said in the release
Third-, 4th- and 5th-grade students scooped beads into little bags and added clasps for ready-to-craft bracelets while others made joke cards to bring a smile to kids who have cancer, according to the release.
Kindergarten and 1st-graders eagerly made their way down a long table stacked with supplies for grab-and-go meal kits, taking one of each, sealing the bag and dropping them in a collection box. The meal kits are for family members who stay at the Ronald McDonald House in Oak Lawn while their children are being treated at the children’s hospital across the street.
“It was a great opportunity to bring our whole school community together in service of those in need. I hope it ignited students’ interest in pursuing additional service opportunities in our community. We truly appreciate the PTO’s efforts to organize Greenbriar Gives,” Principal Ginny Hiltz, said.
