Encouraging Service through Charity Drives and Donation Opportunities

An Educational Belief of Service

As a Quaker school, one of the values of Moorestown Friends is that there is a responsibility towards the larger community. The school is a living part of contemporary society, and should be actively concerned with and involved with its problems and opportunities. Service is a natural result of our concern for one another, and MFS offers a wide variety of service learning activities throughout each school division. All students are supported in finding a place for service in their lives and student-suggested activities are welcome.

Goals of Service Learning at MFS

Beginning in Lower School, students begin thinking about how to identify and meet community needs. Other service learning goals:

• Develop or work with programs that address identified needs and understand the context of the needs
• Reflect on both the outcome of the service and the internal experience
• Share reflections.

Lower School Service Opportunities

Beginning in Lower School, children and families are encouraged to participate in a number of annual school-wide charity drives. In October, Lower School families raised over $500 for Trick or Treat for UNICEF. During the month of November, each MFS division (Lower School, Middle School, and Upper School) worked together to collect over $600 and 100 complete Thanksgiving dinner bags for the Thanksgiving Dinner Collections for New Visions in Camden. In December, the entire MFS community donated winter clothing and toys for both the Trenton Public School System and the Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement Program. Lower School students especially enjoy bringing their contributions to “decorate” the Christmas tree in Stokes Hall Lobby.