The Haratsaris Family (K, 2nd, and 4th Grade)

On The Longest Day of the year in 2017, the Summer Solstice, the Haratsaris brothers had a Lemonade Stand to raise money for the Alzheimer's Association. Their Grandma has Alzheimer's disease and they wanted to honor her and give back to the community. They raised $177.50!

Malcolm Tate - 8th Grade

I am a member of Jack and Jill of America, Inc.-North Oakland Macomb Chapter. The North Oakland/Macomb Chapter will celebrate the 2018 National Day of Service in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by partnering with the Grace Centers of Hope in Pontiac, Michigan. Grace Centers of Hope is a non-profit, Christian organization committed to positively changing the lives of the unwanted, addicted, and homeless through personal accountability, life skills education, and work-related programs.The Emergency Shelter Program provides immediate assistance to the homeless in the community by making available food, shelter, clothing, and other necessities.This year we provided bedding, finances, and hand made cards of encouragement

Middle School Helping Hands Club

Finding ways to make a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable among us has been our goal as members of the Middle School Helping Hands club.  In the fall, we researched organizations dedicated to serving the homeless and decided to support Heart 2 Hart.  Three days a week, members of Heart 2 Hart travel through the streets of Detroit to serve a nutritious lunch, hand out comfort bags filled with toiletries, food, and clothing items, and offer guidance for added support.  During this particularly brutal winter, we were anxious to do something to help.  Several bake sales and drives at school allowed our club to pack 100 comfort bags filled with socks, t-shirts, toothbrushes and other toiletries, granola bars, and fruit that were then delivered to the homeless in Metro Detroit. 

Winter session brought about a new cause.....

We learned of Weiss Children's Advocacy Center in Flint, serving children who have been severely abused and are now in foster care.  The center provides a safe, comforting environment for the children to gather, play, interact with other children and receive counseling and support.   Hearing of their need, our club spent several weeks making 45 fleece blankets.  The blankets were then paired with stuffed animals, books and comfort bags.  We then coordinated a party at the center complete with games, crafts, and food for the children.  It was the highlight of our year when we were able to deliver the gifts we had gathered and made to the children.  This was just the beginning of a partnership we will continue to foster and was certainly an experience we will never forget. Stephanie Anton, and eight grader and Country Day says, "When we entered the center, we were delighted that we saw so many smiles around the room; children that came from such challenging backgrounds, finally getting some joy and hope for a brighter future. It was amazing to us how one toy could make a child ecstatic, and forget for a while some of their bad thoughts."

Helping Hands Club sponsors, Mrs. Moeller and Mrs. Pohl have been amazed by the enthusiasm, creativity and dedication of its members and have truly enjoyed the 'spirit of giving' that has permeated this caring group of students.  It has been wonderful to watch the mentoring 8th grade members of the club have provided for it's younger members and the leadership skills that have emerged as a result of our service to others.

Brittany Rivera '15

Sitting in Mrs. Chennault's 8th grade English class nine years ago, I would have never dreamed that our paths would cross again on a mission trip to Africa. Carla and I both independently signed up to travel to Kenya with the organization, No Child, and are so thankful to have experienced this trip together. No Child offers sponsorships that provide housing, basic necessities, and education to children who are orphaned or those whose parents are unable to afford their schooling. We traveled with a group of 13 amazing men and women varying in age, career, and life experiences to three Pokot children's homes in Kenya and updated over 565 child sponsorship profiles. Profiling included taking photographs of the children, having them do a craft and write a letter to their sponsor, and updating their information. From attending a traditional church service to being invited by a mother into the home that she hand built, I've gained an immense insight into the Pokot culture. The Pokot are among the most resilient and wonderful people and this journey was truly the best experience of my life.

Chase Kingsley - 3rd Grade

I asked my mom if I can feed the homeless because I know they don't have access to food that I eat everyday. During the event I was excited to see the homeless line up to get food. I was very proud to pass out literature about housing, food giveaway, and church information. After the event was over I was tired but felt proud to help the homeless. I would like everyone to help out the homeless by donating food, money, clothes, and their time to help the homeless. It will make you very proud and you will be blessed.

Paul Hervey '87

Our school district in Ohio does not have as many opportunities for extracurricular activities as some others. We have found that cost is a barrier to many families in giving their children these opportunities. We decided as a family to start a district chess club last fall and to make it free. (Other than playing a little chess at DCDS, I have no experience, but have an interested child.) Expecting perhaps a dozen students to show up, imagine our surprise when 84 students from all grades showed up the first night! Eighty percent of these children had never played a game of chess before, but with organizational work and volunteering from some other parents, we have been able to put together a weekly activity for children of all ages at no cost to them. We donated seed money and conducted fundraisers to keep operations going. We have 15 students willing to show what they have learned by participating in regional chess tournaments, including one who won a recent event. The children learn how to win and lose with class, to meet students from other buildings and grades, and to have fun learning the game and teaching it to their family members. It is fulfilling to know that one can make a positive difference in a family's life in such a fun way.

Donna Rubin - Faculty Member

Hi, my name is Pax and I am a certified therapy dog.  I belong to Mrs. Rubin, a first grade teacher in the Lower School. As a therapy dog, my mom and I spend our summers volunteering to help people who might be lonely or not feeling well.  Sometimes we visit hospitals and I get to jump up on beds and snuggle with children.  Other times we visit elderly friends who cannot leave their houses.  But my favorite therapy work is during story time.  I can sit for long time listening to children read to me or I sit in my mom's lap when she reads her book, Apple Cider Pup.  It's so much fun to listen to the story about me, a.k.a. Puppy Appleseed, visiting the cider mills of Michigan.  Being a therapy dog doesn't really feel like work because it makes me so dog gone happy when I realize that mom and I are making others feel better.