Grace Academy held its third annual Serving and Learning Together (SALT) service day on April 4, a day when classroom learning was paused and over 450 students, teachers, staff, and volunteers were sent out to partner with local organizations and serve the Georgetown community.
“SALT is a day of hard work and heart change that leads to blessing others, and being blessed,” Tiffany McLendon, Director of Communications at Grace Academy, said. “Students work by grade level around town helping with projects for the Georgetown Police Department, cleaning up and rehabilitating local parks, planting flowers for the citizens of BiG, improving Key 2 Free living quarters, delivering meals for Meals on Wheels, and more.”
Students were encouraged and inspired by Georgetown’s Mayor Josh Schroeder the day before at the SALT Send-Off. He addressed students, staff, and parents emphasizing the role service plays in leadership and preparing them to be servant leaders in their community.
Grace Academy SALT Coordinator Pamela Medrano explained how SALT is a time for students to learn the importance of serving others and share the love of Christ through acts of service.
“We hope that each student graduates with a desire to practice servant leadership,” Medrano said. “Servant leadership is grounded in values such as integrity, humility, and compassion. By practicing servant leadership, students can develop these values and build a strong character that will serve them well throughout their lives.”
In total, the school served 12 different nonprofits in their annual service day, including:
- Isaiah 117 House – Students assembled appreciation bags for CPS workers involved with this ministry.
- Georgetown Police Department – Students spent the day at the police station where they assembled activity bags and teddy bear kits for displaced citizens.
- Brookwood in Georgetown (BIG) – Students weeded, mulched, and planted new flowers to help beautify their welcome areas.
- Backpack Buddies – Students packed 600 bags of food to go home with food insecure children in the Georgetown school system.
- Wonders and Worries – Students put together craft bags and doctor kits to be used with young children receiving services.
- Simple Sparrow Care Farm – Students spread out mulch, cleaned out animal cages and stalls, and cleared the entry areas of weeds to make room for new spring flowers.
- Texas Baptist Children’s Home – Students spent the day on a variety of beautification projects around the grounds at the children’s home.
- Camp of the Hills – Students created garden spaces, maintained some of the camp’s trails, and made preparations for upcoming summer programs.
- Meals on Wheels – Students packed fresh meals and delivered them to seniors in the community.
- ROCK Ride On Center for Kids – Students worked to clear trails and clean up around the center.
- City of Georgetown Parks and Recreation – Students weeded, mulched, and prepared flower beds for spring planting and other beautification projects.
- Key 2 Free – Students worked at one of the homes provided to survivors to improving several living spaces.
The day was filled with not only with serving, but also learning about the needs many residents in our community face on a daily basis. “Students receive a short presentation about the nonprofits’ mission, who they serve, and how the students can make an impact,” Medrano said. “We hope these small acts of service will impact our city and students for generations to come.”
By participating in SALT, students can see the real change that service brings about and how they are an important part of the community. “Not only does SALT benefit our community, it teaches our students,” McLendon said. “When a Kindergartener graduates twelve years later they will know about the needs in their community, nonprofits that address those needs, and how they can serve each one.”
Grace Academy is a Christ-centered, classical K-12 school serving Georgetown and surrounding areas. For more information on the school or SALT, visit www.gracetx.org.
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