Students in Goddard Middle School's AVID program learned recently about the spirit of giving.
The 58 students, composed of 7th and 8th graders, developed and implemented a service project, from concept to completion. The project: a school-wide charity toy drive held at Goddard. The toys collected were donated to Shepherd's Pantry for their Annual Toy Drive Dec. 8.
Lisa Hall, coordinator of the AVID program at Goddard, said learning about leadership is an important aspect of AVID.
"Part of the heart of AVID is to give our students a chance to serve and help their community. We also want to give them opportunities to plan and take leadership roles," Hall said.
Each class brainstormed ideas to advertise and implement the toy drive, Hall said.
AVID students created an advertising campaign for their toy drive and decked themselves out in elf hats to further advertise the campaign.
Matt Garza, 8th grader, wrote a rap song advertising the AVID toy drive and performed it during morning announcements at Goddard, Hall said.
Unwrapped toys were collected during the two-week toy drive and then delivered to Shepherd's Pantry.
One of the most important aspects of the toy drive was creating a consciousness in the students about the needs of those around them, Hall said.
"We desire for the kids to be aware of the needs around them and have a heart for helping. The first step is just becoming aware of the needs," Hall said. "I am so proud of our AVID kids and loved to see their caring and compassionate hearts."
