The auditorium of Hamagrael Elementary was filled with the pinks and reds of Valentine’s Day and the smell of candy as students set to work at this year’s Community Service Afternoon. For the second year in a row, the school has held an afterschool program where students can volunteer their time to give back to local causes. The day of service is part of the school’s Kids Helping Kids program. “This is an experience the kids can really learn from,” said Principal Dave Ksanznak. “It’s good for them to see how important it is to give back to their community.” Students spent the time after school participating in a variety of projects, not all of which helped children, but were to benefit a variety of local organizations and people in need. The children were split into groups and were given tasks. Some were asked to make Valentine’s Day cards for soldiers overseas, while other made bagged lunches of sandwiches and trail mix to be handed out at a local homeless shelter. Others created craft kits that will be handed out in the pediatrics ward to children at Albany Medical Center to keep their minds off being in the hospital. Ksanznak said he couldn’t believe the number of kids who signed up to participate, adding, “This is the most we’ve had so far.” The Kids Helping Kids program began 10 years ago and started with the direction of parent PTA members. The hope was through the program, students could better understand what it meant to give back to their community and better appreciate their own situations in life. The program is co-chaired by parents Becky Lane and Deb Selo.
According to Lane, the entire school participates in community service projects throughout the year. There’s the back-to-school backpack stuffing project for kids in need of school supplies, the Adopt a Snowflake program during the holidays, creating gift bags for kids at St. Catherine’s Children’s Center and visiting the Beverwyck Senior Center. The afterschool program was created last year so students could give more of their time.
“It’s sometimes hard for parents to bring kids somewhere to volunteer, so we figured we would bring it to the kids to make it easier,” said Lane. The afterschool program is held once a year, but because of its growing popularity the school and PTA may look into holding it more often. Lane said last year fewer than 50 kids showed up, but this year nearly 150 students volunteered. Dylan Grimaldi-Johnson, 11, spent his time at the Valentine’s station, making detailed cards for soldiers. Within the program’s hour he made two cards, while other kids had made dozens, but he explained he likes taking his time to ensure the soldiers will get the best card possible. “I learned this from an art class thing I took with my older sister,” he said while creating a criss-cross design on the paper and coloring in alternate boxes. “She’s the real artist interested in this stuff.” Kaitlyn Coffee, 9, said she started making Valentine’s cards but switched to helping pack lunches. “It makes me feel good to know I’m helping. I want to make their face light up. I wish I could be there to see them get what we made,” she said. Unlike the adults, Coffee said she wasn’t surprised by the number of students who signed up to volunteer. “We’re a big school that likes helping our community,” she said.
Other students made snowflakes for next year’s Adopt a Snowflake program, while some made posters to say goodbye to retiring school staff. Cole Edwards, 11, said he mostly made Valentine’s too, but tried to help out wherever he could. He said he feels sorry for people who have it tougher in life and plans to volunteer for his community all of his life. “This won’t ever change for me,” he said, which is exactly what school officials and PTA members hope to instill in their students through the program. “We want them to become productive member of society,” said Ksanznak.