Quaker school ready to give back on annual Day of Service
By KRYSTAL NURSE
The Sun
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 21, Friends School Mullica Hill is utilizing the day off from school to give back to the community.
During their Day of Service, third-grade teacher Patricia Matias-Cruz has students from preschool to eighth grade doing various activities to get everyone involved, including the outside community.
“We open this to the whole school, but we wanted to make sure they had one thing they are capable of doing — making letters or cards, color mats, etc.,” said Matias-Cruz. “Students at the younger level enjoy coloring, most of the time. They’re least likely to go outside and rake the leaves because they’re so small and they might not be interested in it.”
Activities include cleaning up the campus and other nearby lands, if the weather allows; making letters and cards for Operation Gratitude, a nonprofit benefiting active-duty troops, veterans and first responders, Friends Village Assisted Retirement in Woodstown and Mullica Gardens Senior Living; creating DIY placemats for Meals on Wheels; and drawings for Color A Smile and collecting a variety of gently-used or new donations for the Gloucester County Animal Shelter.
“On their website, the GCAS shelter had a big list of items that they needed, and to make sure they get a variety of items, I decided to divide the items two per grade level,” said Matias-Cruz. “That way we get a variety of donations from the parents.”
Items requested for the animal shelter include, but are not limited to, various types of food for cats and dogs, toys, small beds and cleaning supplies.
“In the past, Rowan [University] students have been able to come and volunteer, which would be an opportunity for them,” said Matias-Cruz. “Parents would be able to come and attend as well as anyone in the nearby community.”
For those wishing to assist with the outside clean ups, Matias-Cruz requests people provide their own rakes and yard gloves. Volunteers can also bring gently-used or new supplies for the animal shelter to the school’s meeting house and proceed to the gymnasium.
Matias-Cruz and Erica Salmon, Friends School’s director of admissions, both said MLK Day was chosen because people associate it with community service because of King’s commitment to bettering the country and other smaller communities.
From 9 a.m. until noon, students, families, alumni and the Mullica Hill community are welcome to join Friends School for its annual MLK Day of Service. For more information, volunteers can call (856) 478–2908 ext. 124.
