For The American
Moore Norman Technology Center's Career Exploration Education students have offered their hands in volunteer work all school year, but have focused their efforts this winter with drives for Meals on Wheels and Food and Shelter for Friends.
Students in Zena Amer's morning and afternoon classes learned that sometimes, when people in their community are hungry, it also means their pets are hungry.
Since October, the classes have worked together to develop an ongoing community project for the pets of Meals on Wheels clients in Norman.
"We take money or goods donations at local stores and then buy pet food, supplies and hygiene products for the people throughout the month," said Moore High School junior and CEE student Travis Barker.
The students then work after school and on weekends to sort out the supplies and make single serving baggies of the purchased pet food.
"We take the all the supplies to the Meals on Wheels ourselves so that when a meal is dropped off, a pet meal also is dropped of with it. That way we know that the cooked food goes to the person, and not to their hungry pet," said Norman North High School senior Morgan Mason.
A second project the classes have performed since fall is a winter gloves drive. Since September they've collected more than 600 pairs of gloves and winter hats and $700 that has been donated to the Food and Shelter for Friends, Norman.
Westmoore High School senior Katelyn Chappell said, "It's so satisfying to do useful work that benefits others in the community. I never thought a pair of gloves could make a person so happy."
The gloves project also uses some of the hygiene products collected through the Meals on Wheels project to donate to Food and Shelter for Friends. Additionally, as a class they cook and serve breakfast at the shelter up to three times each month.
Southmoore High School senior Landra January said she is hopeful that the project will continue on through the summer months and that students will be able to transition the collections to sun screen and warmer weather products.
"These projects have really shown me how much is actually done for me. I just love volunteering now, and am so glad I had to opportunity to work with my class to help others," said January.
Random Acts of Kindness
Random Acts of Kindness Week was March 8-12, and is a national initiative that Amer's classes have been active with in the past.
Students make stops in Moore and Norman to help others in the community and spread a message of care and selflessness.
This year students cooked and served breakfast at Food -- Shelter for Friends twice, performed acts of kindness on MNTC's Franklin Road Campus, and prepared, cooked, served and cleaned-up a meal at Norman Fire Station 1 for waste management workers, firefighters, police and the homeless.
Amer believes community service teaches youth how to become responsible adults and how to care for their communities.
"It's our duty as teachers and parents to teach them this type of compassion and open their eyes to opportunities in which they can apply their skills," she said.
Volunteerism is performed throughout the school year, and so far her students have been involved with the United Way Day of Caring, The University of Oklahoma Campus collections of non-perishable items, visited Full Circle Adult Day Center and rang the bell for the Salvation Army.
One impromptu project they did last month was a collection to help in the relief efforts for Haiti. In a few hours the students and Amer had collected $1,000 and gave it to the Norman American Red Cross.
To find out how your school or organization can get involved with RAK Week visit www.actsofkindness.org. For information about MNTC's full or part-time classes call 364-5763, extension 7260, or visit www.mntechnology.com.
