Under the steadfast leadership of our Day of Service Committee (Lulú Cossich, Associate Head of Lower School; Trude Goodman, Associate Head of Middle School; Xiomara Hall, Associate Head of School and Liz Solis, Associate Head of Upper School for Culture and Community), Chapin’s day of community engagement was a smashing success.
On the beautiful morning of March 1, close to 200 volunteers—including parents, K-12 students and siblings, faculty, staff and alums—ventured to 100 East End or into their local neighborhoods to engage in community service projects.
At Chapin, volunteers made 680 sandwiches that were driven to eight different community fridges across Manhattan and the Bronx; created 75 bracelets for GLOW, an organization founded by former Chapin student Annabelle Barth that supports women survivors of domestic abuse; sorted 15 extra-large boxes of gently loved or new toddler and baby toys for Room to Grow; and designed special cards for our SHOFCO (Shining Hope for Community) sister schools.
A bake sale and t-shirt sale that took place in front of the School raised $1,800 in support of SHOFCO and Grassroots Grocery. The uncharacteristically warm weather also provided volunteers with the opportunity to make connections and converse with our neighbors as they passed by the building.
Across the street in Carl Schurz Park, Chapin community members filled five 6-gallon tubs with trash found along the main walkways, added mulch to garden areas and learned about some of the plants within the park. Volunteers also photographed the plant species and uploaded them to the iNaturalist app, which helps generate data for scientists and conservation efforts.
In other areas of New York, volunteers filled 30 bags with debris to aid in park clean up. Attendees at Grassroot Grocery’s Bronx location organized over 13,000 pounds of excellent produce, which ultimately served over 1,000 families, while others partnered with Camp Friendship to drive groceries and meals to homebound New Yorkers.
Sixteen co-captains were on hand at 100 East End and offsite to help organize participants, set up and clean up, and act as liaisons with designated community partners. We are so grateful to everyone who helped with this initiative, whether behind the scenes or on the ground!
