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Take the momentum of holiday giving into the new year
Senior Tessah green works on a tie-blanket for the My Very Own Bed organization.
December 18, 2018
Each year as the holidays approach, St. Paul Academy Upper School charity work intensifies. This year the upper school is taking a new approach to holiday charity. Instead of the annual gift wrapping party, advisories will now raise money for My Very Own Bed, an organization that seeks to provide beds and bed sheets to families who have recently found homes. Students will also donate Christmas gifts to the Hallie Q. Brown community center.
But while charity initiatives such as My Very Own Bed and Hallie Q. Brown are undoubtedly a good thing, why do these initiatives only occur near the end of the semester? While the result of holiday service is still good, SPA as a community needs to be more charitable year round, not just during the holiday season.
Only doing charity work during the holidays questions the motives behind it. By doing charity work year round, students would be doing the work for the sake of the work, not just because it’s the holidays.
Additionally, some advisories aren’t participating in the Hallie Q. Brown service because they don’t celebrate Christmas. While people could try to look past cultural differences during holiday charity, it would be better if holiday charity events weren’t oriented to one holiday so that everyone feels like they can participate.
The fact that the only major service opportunities available to the SPA community as a whole take place just during the holidays is concerning. Initiatives like My Very Own Bed and Hallie Q Brown are beneficial both to the people they serve and to us as a community. More service would instill a greater mindset of gratefulness and care in our community and there needs to be opportunities for service year round.
