ESCCA Winter Wear Drop Off Field Trip....and I'm Back!

Thanks to those of you still following the blog.  As I'm sure you've noticed, it's been a while since I've posted.  Well, I'm back now with an update on a very important field trip we went on today.

Over the past 11 days, our class collected children's winter wear that other Greeley students donated.  The drive went slower than expected, meaning many classes had little or no donations.  But as we loaded the bus today, each one of my students had a bag to carry containing two or more coats.

The ESCCA (Evanston School Children's Clothing Association) is located near Evanston High School.  It took us about 15 minutes to get there.  When we got off the bus we carried all of our bags into ESCCA.  We were greeted by Dianne, the president of ESCCA.  We dropped our bags off in the back room and listened to a tour of the packed room that housed all the clothing.

As Dianne spoke to the students, the power of service learning really hit me.  This was an experience, and more importantly a powerful message of giving, I could not replicate in the classroom.  As this message took hold, many students expressed a desire to donate more clothes to ESCCA using the drop box outside.  Students realized both how fortunate they are, and the importance of giving to those less fortunate.  Overall, the whole experience was a huge success, allowing the students a small, but powerful glimpse into a place where giving is everything.