|
Support For the Missions
St. Bridget School collects cancelled postage stamps which are given to the Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary. The stamps are then sent to Missions in Third World countries for a variety of uses: the dyes are extracted and used in art work and fabric making, pieces are cut into tiny shapes for mosaic making and some stamps are used for barter. The school also sponsors special projects, including collecting school supplies for children in need, which benefit missions in Cameroon, Argentina and Cuba.
|
Ronald McDonald House Charities
St. Bridget School collects pop top tabs which are donated to Ronald McDonald House Charities. To date, this nation-wide project has generated over $4 million dollars for Ronald McDonald Houses, which help provide a "home away from home" for families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals. Mrs. Rodenbeck coordinates this program. We have collected over 700 pounds of pop tabs.
|
The Gift of Sight
Mrs. Christopherson's 3rd grade homeroom is coordinating the Gift of Sight program in which used eyeglasses are collected and donated to the Lions Club Eyeglass Recycling Centers that are located throughout the world. Working with LensCrafters, the used eyeglasses are cleaned, repaired and classified by prescription. The eyeglasses are then distributed to those in need by Lion volunteers and other organizations hosting optical missions in developing countries. We have already collected over 300 pair!
|
Special Projects
In answer to the tsunami in Southeast Asia, the Student Council sponsored the Tidal Wave of Hope penny drive, which netted $1286 for the U.S. Bishops' Tsunami Relief Fund. This project was followed by the Flood of Hope drive which raised $1149 for the Diocesan Relief Collection for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. St. Bridget School also participated in the Heart to Heart program which is sponsored by the DCCW and the Junior Observer. Four hundred dollars was raised for school supplies for Peruvian students.
|
Adopt a Soldier
The St. Bridget Junior High classes "Adopted a Soldier" for Christmas. Seventh and eighth grade students were asked to donate items to put into care packages which were sent to Iraq and the troops for Christmas. The Junior High students also teamed up with first and second grade buddies to write letters and make cards to send with the care packages. Suggested items included packaged snacks, candy and gum, travel size wet wipes, lip balm, decks of cards, powdered drinks, magazines and paperback books. Seventeen packages were shipped to troops in Iraq, with a special package going to the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and to Ft. Hood, Texas.
|
|
Food Pantry Drives
St. Bridget School holds several food drives each year. Food drives benefit The Park Pantry, The Cornucopia Food Pantry, St. Patrick's Parish Food Pantry and St. Elizabeth Center. Food drives are usually coordinated by the Builders Club and Student Council. The school also participates in other Parish projects such as the Styrofoam Drive for the Rockford Rescue Mission. |
School and Parish Support
School groups find many way in which to perform service for the school. The Builders Club has planted and maintains a garden near the Blessed Virgin Mary's statue on school grounds. Scout groups clean up the Parish grounds each spring and provide new flags when needed. The Home and School Association provides vital service in both time and treasure to St. Bridget School and Parish.
|
Community Outreach
Our 2nd grade students visit a retirement complex near the school each month. Students sing and entertain the residents, and sometimes make a craft to share with their partners. Other school groups sometimes visit area nursing homes. Each year a group from St. Bridget helps honor our Veterans of Foreign Wars at a Veteran's Day ceremony.
|
Classroom Projects
The different homerooms are encouraged to find Service Projects for their individual classrooms. The 6th grade classes helped with the Parish Giving Tree during the Christmas season. Some rooms "adopted" families and provided gifts during the holidays. The 2nd and 4th grade homerooms collected gently used toys and bought items for babies in Catholic Charities foster care. Other classrooms put together Easter baskets for Catholic Charities.
|
Coat Drive
St. Bridget School recently took part in the Catholic Charities Coat Drive to aid victims of the Rockford flooding. We collected over 1000 coats! This drive was coordinated at the school by the St. Bridget Student Council. |
Builders Club
The St. Bridget Builders Club sponsors several projects each year. This year, many of the girls in Builders Club learned to knit and then made scarves for those in need this winter. They have also collected stuffed animals for Catholic Charities, made Easter Baskets for children in foster care, collected food and toys for an Animal Shelter and purchased items for St. Bridget School. |
