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.

5 Upper School Advisories

For our five advisory service project we did the following:Project: Our advisories gathered supplies (paper lunch bags which we decorated, raisins, juice boxes, cereal bars, apple sauce and fruit cups) to pack 400 "Snack Pax" for underprivileged students in 4 different schools in Detroit and Southfield. The goal is to provide these kids with a healthy snack bag to have when they go home. "Snack Pax" is a non-profit organization whose mission states: "Song and spirit bring people together of different faith traditions to engage in creative service through education, art and social outreach. We provide opportunities for others to serve the disadvantaged." The five participating advisories included: Peggy Steffan, Brett Sidle, Kelsey Lademan, Erica Fazio, Mary Kenney. On 3-8-18, these five advisories gathered together and packed the 400 snack pax for these children.

Abhay Paharia - 11th Grade

My brother and I have been tutoring kids in Detroit since fifth grade. Every summer we would accompany our parents to their work place and assist children in Math and English. Over years we have gotten more involved and have provided the children with website to communicate with us throughout the year. Academicexchange.org helps students request tutoring, schedule classes, and borrow many books we have provided as extra resource. In the last couple of years we have increased the scope with more sessions each Friday even during the school year. Many of our students have continued to return for academic help, and some of them have begun tutoring their peers at their school as well as other students needing help in our program. We are very fortunate to have been allowed in their lives and their encouragement has given us the support to continue and make a difference in the community.

Danialle Karmanos - Current Parent

Last year our son had an emergency appendectomy at Children's Hospital of Michigan. I was lucky to sleep in his room with him and noticed the number of hospitalized children who were alone. I was inspired to help and started a charity called "The Cuddlers". It started with a pilot of DCDS moms who visit CHM several times a month (or week) to cuddle babies. Leah MacMartin, Chrissy Krempel, Alexis Kiriluk and Connie Quarrier. The program has taken off and a local news story had over 1/4 of a million visits online. Nearly 100 volunteers are finishing orientation to become "certified Cuddlers" by summer 2018. I also started a program in 2005 called Danialle Karmanos Work It Out (www.kidsworkitout.org) that has taught SEL and yoga to over 12,000 children in Detroit.

Kandis Davis '82

As soon as I saw that Misty Copeland, Principle Dancer of the American Ballet Theater of New York City was arriving to Milan, Italy to perform with Roberto Bolle, Étoile of Teatro alla Scala of Milan, I knew that a warm welcome would be apropos. Just months earlier, I had been conferred The American Consul General's Award for Cultural Diplomacy, so I inquired at the American Consulate to see if I could be of service. I was humbled to have my request well received and honored with the task of organizing the luncheon for Ms. Copeland where Public Affairs Officer Christopher Wurst of the American Consulate General, presented her with a special award, while members of the English speaking community had a magnificent moment to dine and interact with Ms. Copeland and her husband, Olu Evans.The effect on the community increased the unity of all foreigners in our interactions with Italians and both Ms. Copeland and her husband were in awe of the outpouring of admiration, care and genuine American pride from their compatriots as this was the only time the couple spent with fellow Americans. The Italian community informed me of how much they enjoyed observing so many Americans celebrating together and how beautiful it was to see how this lovely art form of ballet so uniquely brought together such a diverse mixture of people. I love bringing people together, so this service of organizing every minute detail, was a labor of love. Patrons of Teatro alla Scala were made to feel extra special because I got others involved once I had chosen to create the luncheon at a friend's home, which gave a warmer appeal, being so friendly and welcoming in a most unique way. Also Ms. Copeland and her husband thanked us profusely for the cozy atmosphere my team and I worked diligently to create. Just before that most magical community service experience, I had facilitated the Consul General's Award for Cultural Diplomacy ceremony for Maestro Alan Gilbert, then Artistic Director of the New York Philharmonic and in Italy to work with us at Teatro alla Scala. Here, I organized every detail with Teatro alla Scala for Maestro Gilbert's award presentation and reunited American performers with American diplomats in order to celebrate all together with a big dinner. Even though we were all in Milan, Italy at the time, my fellow Americans repeatedly mentioned how much they appreciated coming to a city in Europe where they were finally made to feel "at home". In another occasion, I was humbled by the honor of being able to serve the international community by facilitating the arrival and awarding of Gullah Culture Ambassador to Mr. John W. Jones. https://it.usembassy.gov/workshop-american-gullah-culture-heritage/ I have served the community by collaborating with the non profits Global Culture Talks and Fare Arte to select Italian art students from L'Accademia Delle Belli Arti to participate in a Masterclass held by Mr. Jones; throughout which I also organized collateral events to continually highlight American heritage. The select English speaking Italian art students got to learn about our history, thanks to the formidable participation of the Cariplo Foundation and the American Consulate and they actually got a chance to create artworks with Mr. Jones! The impact on the community has been unparalleled as both the American community and the Italian community continue to follow the progress of these students as well as the impact of cross cultural relations on our international communities, as a whole. New bonds were created, old bonds were consolidated and new dialogues have begun on ways in which both communities can grow and flourish as a more united artistic community beyond boundaries. There is much more interest in developing an even greater, stronger, more consolidated global community. Art has been the cornerstone of my service to my American heritage in my life in Italy, and for this, I feel thankful beyond words for the opportunity to serve the communities I love. I didn't know how much studying foreign languages was going to change my life, but after having built a life in Paris and Milan, I remain especially appreciative of my foreign language skills, which I began at Detroit Country Day School.

Noah Michaelson - 8th Grade

In the beginning of February, my dad took me and my sister to the Philippines. For 6 days we volunteered at the Southern Philippines Medical Center. In preparation for the trip, my sister and I collected toys to bring with us. We split our time between watching surgeries and handing out toys to kids in the pediatric wing. We spent a great deal of time at the children’s cancer wing where there were happy kids who lit up when they were given toys. It was amazing to see how different the hospital there was compared to hospitals at home. A normal room here designed for 1-2 people would have over 20 people in the Phillippines. Now when I go to the doctors office or hospital I am able to really understand how lucky we are to live in a country where medicine and health care are easily accessible.

Penkala Family - Faculty Member & Alumni

On January 20, 2018 the Penkala family volunteered together at the Homeless Stand Down in Cleveland, Ohio. Lauren (DCDS 2009) is the Executive Director of the non-profit Hands On NE Ohio - an organization that works to build stronger communities where everyone has discovered their power to make a difference through service. Lauren recruited family members to help this year!The Homeless Stand Down (HSD) is a one-day event providing access to resources for individuals and families facing poverty and homelessness. The volunteers focused on homeless individuals, families, and veterans offering a day of respite from the elements, renewal of the human spirit, and reconnection to needed services that assist in the totality of human wellness and sustainability. An estimated 1,500 guests enjoyed access to social service providers, haircuts, medical screenings, live entertainment, professional portraits, breakfast and lunch, and free winter clothing, personal care kits, bus passes and much more.