buildOn PA: Leading By Example, Serving By Choice!
April 2008
Pennsylvania members have been very busy making a difference in Philadelphia and around the world!
Our spring Regional Service Project took place on Saturday, April 26, as more than 100 buildOn members landed on the shores of Atlantic City, New Jersey, for a beach clean-up with the organization Clean Ocean Action.
Members spent 10 hours of their Saturday traveling to the beach and collecting and logging over 1,500 pieces of trash! The day ended with lunch on the boardwalk.
Huge thank you’s go out to the students who came out and advisors/adult volunteers who helped make our first out-of-state large-scale project a HUGE success!
During school Spring Break in March, 42 buildOn members participated in our annual Spring Break Service Week, which culminated in a Service Overnight Trip themed "Leading By Example: Serving By Choice!"
The service projects, coordinated by members of the PA Youth Advisory Council, included stripping bike parts for a youth program at Neighborhood Bike Works, rehabbing and painting a home for a family transitioning out of homelessness with Achieve Ability, and sorting and organizing donations at Philly Aids Thrift Store that supports various organizations involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
18 students participated in the service overnight, planned by buildOn staff to give students a chance to participate in service, teambuilding, and leadership workshops while spending two days volunteering for the Eliza Shirley Women’s Emergency Shelter.
The workshops helped students understand their roles and responsibilities as public servants and youth leaders in their school and local communities. Students helped sort clothes and other donations, make emergency care packages, serve dinner and play games with children.