What’s Right With Our Schools, Silverdale Academy Fills Stockings for the Salvation Army
CHATTANOOGA, TN (WDEF) – It’s the season of giving, and that’s a lesson students at Silverdale Academy learn at a young age. First and third graders recently filled 160 stockings for local seniors with things like lip balm, puzzle books and new socks. That’s a big-hearted example of What’s Right With Schools.
“Our senior stockings is a program that we have been doing for many years. And it is something to where we can have these high touch points with senior citizens in the Chattanooga area and make sure that they feel loved and appreciated during the holiday season,” Kendall Hudson, Comm Relations Dev Mgr. said.
“So the school here has been doing this for a couple of years now where they, you know, really want to bring these children in and show them the spirit of
giving back. And the spirit of caring for those who might not otherwise have a Christmas. I think people can stay in their bubble and I think that this helps those children to see
what other people’s lives look like. It helps these children to relate to a wider variety of people. And it you know really raises caring and kind children. So the children and their
families will collect items that might be helpful for the senior citizens. Sometimes it’s hygiene items like toothbrushes, toothpaste. Sometimes it’s things like crossword puzzles
to keep their minds active. It can be socks. Anything that they feel might be a needed item for these senior citizens,” Hudson said.
“We love partnering uh with the Salvation Army. Um every year we do it, we end up getting over 150 stockings this year. Um so our first and our third graders participate, and they are actually buddies uh here at Silverdale. So this is something that they get to do together. Um and this is their service project for the fall,” Leah Bennett, Dir. of Communications, Silverdale Baptist Academy said.
STUDENT 1: you can make people feel joy and happy.
STUDENT 2: I want people who don’t um get Christmas, I want them to be able to enjoy Christmas.
STUDENT 3: I think it’s good and I feel happy.
STUDENT 4: Everybody should be be should feel loved.
STUDENT 5: People deserve to be joyful and learn Jesus.
“We want to teach them to be the hands and feet of Jesus. And uh learn to give back to their community. So that’s why we love this service project so much,” Melissa Colter, 3rd Grade Faculty at Silverdale Baptist Academy said.
“And at a young age, it teaches them to learn how to do that. First and third grade, those are impressionable young ages. And they get to they get to be a part of this,” Bennett said.
“I hope that it helps them to be empathetic and to be kind as they grow. And to realize that giving back is such a wonderful thing. And can really help a lot of people. We’re definitely seeing a bigger need than normal and you know we’re we’re seeing a the community step up and try to help more. So while we are seeing a bigger need,
we know that we have the community to help us. Right now we still have a lot of stockings that need to be filled. And also if there are other ways that you would like to get involved this Christmas season, we have Angel Tree. You can take tags off of the tree or you could come volunteer with us,” Hudson said.
