Cleaning up and giving back: Waynflete Upper School students participate in community service projects

Students in grades 9–10 recently participated in grade-level community service days at the following organizations as part of the Upper School Community Engagement Program:

STRIVE (Socialization, Transition, Reflection, Innovation, Vocation, and Education) is a nonprofit organization based in South Portland that assists tweens, teens, and young adults with intellectual disabilities. Under the direction of STRIVE Program Manager (and Waynflete alumna!) Alex Woodhouse ’08, students sorted through and organized decorations for STRIVE’s upcoming Halloween party. They even had the opportunity to make some of their own festive decorations to decorate the halls and bulletin boards!

Ronald McDonald House is a nonprofit organization with the mission to create, find, and support programs that directly improve the health and wellbeing of children by helping families physically, economically, and emotionally along their child’s healthcare journey. Students spent a morning deep-cleaning the Ronald McDonald House, a place where families can stay that reduces stress and financial burden when their child is receiving medical care.

Maine Needs is a community-focused donation center based out of Portland that strives to help Mainers meet their basic material needs by partnering with caseworkers, teachers, street outreach teams to provide essentials. They also rally communities to volunteer, donate materials and funds, and dig in to support others. Students spent the morning organizing donations and putting together packages of needed/requested items for families.

Furniture Friends is a nonprofit organization that provides donated furniture to people in need throughout Greater Portland. Students loaded up a moving truck of donated furniture and then met the truck at a residence where they helped to unload the furniture into a client’s new home. 

Stewards of the Western Cemetery provides continuing care for Portland’s historic Western Cemetery to overcome years of deterioration and pays respect to prior generations, war veterans, immigrants, and notable citizens through the restoration of their gravestones and burial sites. Students had the opportunity to work along with volunteers to uncover and refurbish deteriorating grave stones.

Through these hands-on experiences, our students made a meaningful impact on their community while learning valuable lessons about empathy, service, and teamwork!