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GPS Students and Faculty Give Back During MLK Day of Service

Partnerships with more than two dozen community organizations allow for an abundance of service opportunities.
“Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.”—Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.


On this cold and blustery winter day, our hearts were warmed by the opportunity to not only serve but also to become more aware of the needs that remain constant and to become more connected to those who work hard every day to help those in our area. It was a day to not look the other way, but instead look around us to see what and who we might overlook in the busyness of our daily lives.

Year-round opportunities for service abound at GPS. But every year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we serve together as a school community, around our Chattanooga community. Students and faculty work side by side at various nonprofit organizations; some stay on campus to perform tasks and make products or write letters that later will be distributed to animal shelters, veterans, and other community members. Others welcome guests to our campus as a way to be of service as good hosts.

This year we partnered with more than two dozen community organizations, and the entire eighth grade worked alongside their McCallie brothers making dog toys for local animal shelters, weaving sleeping mats for the homeless, and cleaning up local neighborhoods. New this year was the addition of the Blood Assurance mobile blood drive, which allowed parents, faculty, and staff an opportunity to donate blood while on campus.

The frigid temps didn’t keep the girls from helping clear out and clean up outdoor areas at locations across town such as Crabtree Farms, Reflection Riding Arena, Lookout Mountain Conservancy, Lula Lake Land Trust, and the Chattanooga Zoo.

At Humane Educational Society, students folded laundry, cleaned kennels, organized supplies, and paused to snuggle a cat or dog that demanded some attention, too. Teachers at the Chambliss Center received some extra classroom help today from our girls.

Our Community Kitchen serves more than 500 people each day, so we helped by sorting food. The girls also organized clothing donations at the Chattanooga Rescue Mission. “It means a lot to us that you all are here to help our mission,” says Mr. Jones, a Mission volunteer.

On campus, The Women’s Fund of Greater Chattanooga engaged our girls in some thoughtful discussion and letter writing to advocate for women in Tennessee, our Development office kept girls busy writing thank-you notes to generous donors to our Impact Fund, and four U.S. military veterans talked to the girls about what communication from home means to soldiers prior to the students' writing thank-you notes to active service members. Young girls from New City Fellowship also came to campus to make crafts and cupcakes, experience the library technology, and eat lunch with our students. The art room was transformed into a super sewing center as the girls made more than 140 fleece hats for Metropolitan Industries, which serves the underserved.

Friends from Widow’s Harvest were our guests this morning in Frierson Theatre, where they watched Terpsichord perform a special concert and then shared snacks and conversations with members of the dance team. “It was so much fun to perform in front of a supportive audience,” says Jadyn Matthews ’20. “I’m very grateful to be able to live out Dr. King’s legacy and have a day of service to give back to the community.”

As the guests from Widow’s Harvest were boarding their bus to leave, dance teacher Laurel Moore Zahrobsky ’90 received praise and hugs from the women. “They said how inspiring and wonderfully articulate our girls were about their pieces and that they really enjoyed the passion they expressed,” says Zahrobsky. “I have always loved our MLK Day of Service because I feel it’s a day to recognize how we can influence a community and help a community and be inspired by other communities just the way he wanted us to.”

After students and faculty returned to campus, they gathered to share their stories. Some groups prepared slideshows with photos. Others created vidoes. All expressed what the day of service meant to them. 

GPS history teacher and faculty sponsor of Partnerships in the Community, Trish King, who is responsible for getting everyone organized for the MLK Day of Service, paused briefly to express her thoughts. “The idea of a day on, not a day off is a national initiative that started in Congress, and it’s been exciting to work with the city of Chattanooga and experience their vision for it,” says King. “Here at GPS, a day of service allows us to get to know our community and figure out where our talents align with areas of needs or opportunities for partnerships in Chattanooga. This year, by introducing our projects to the students the Friday before the day of service, they were able to better understand their projects and how they fit into the community’s needs. Overwhelmingly, our adding a Friday component and having a chance to explain to the girls about their service projects, garnered huge positive support from our community partners.”
 
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