North Yarmouth Academy (NYA) is organizing a school-wide community service day called Project: Reach Out on Wednesday, October 20, 2010. Students will travel to various locations from Portland to Bath to Lewiston/Auburn to do community service from 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Jobs will include clearing trails, cleaning a recreation center, garden work for elders, planting trees, making dog toys for the nonprofit Dogs Deserve Better, and clearing brush to name a few. They will return to campus at 12:00 p.m. for a cookout and event wrap-up on campus where they will share their experiences. This is the second Project: Reach Out.
NYA student crew at work during Project: Reach Out in May 2010
Project: Reach Out started in the last school year when Patty Bright, mother of Acacia (’16) and Wesley (’14) from Freeport, noted the considerable amount of service being done by the NYA community and that it was being done so quietly. “I knew about some of the bigger projects students worked on around the holidays etc., but I had no idea there was so much going on,” she said. She got together with Upper School History teacher Lynn Sullivan, and together with the help of other volunteers, the first Project: Reach Out took place last May and was an overwhelming success. “It was a really great opportunity for our students, faculty, and staff to give back to the community, celebrate service and help others in a meaningful way. When we regrouped after the event last May, we almost immediately decided to hold two a year – in the fall and in the spring,” said Sullivan.
There will be 280 jobs available for students who will be assigned a job based on their preference. Students will travel to locations such as the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Portland, Bradbury Mountain State Park, Crystal Spring Farm, Freeport Community Services, Habitat for Humanity, Lots to Gardens, Partners for World Health, Portland Trails, Riding to the Top, Rippling Waters/Backyard Organics, Ronald McDonald House, The Root Cellar, Royal River Conservation Trust, Yarmouth Skyline Farm, and the YMCA in Lewiston-Auburn. Parent volunteers and NYA faculty and staff will help out at the various locations. “The logistics are tricky because we have to get a lot of students to a lot of different locations and then back to campus, but with our parent volunteer force, and the NYA faculty and staff, we will have no problem making it work,” said Bright.
North Yarmouth Academy is an independent, college preparatory, coeducational day school serving students in grades five through twelve. NYA is dedicated to fostering integrity, character and intellect in young adults. For more information, please contact NYA at 207-847-5423.
