Taped to the wall in a classroom at Webb Elementary School, a drawing of a broken heart is filled with words and phrases such as “homelessness,” “drug addiction” and “lack of education.”
The drawing was one of the first assignments for a group of 11 Webb fourth graders who are part of the Helping Hands initiative, which was started in 2013 by former Webb fourth-grade teacher Jenni Bartram as a means of helping people who have fallen on unfortunate times, said Angela Andrews, a Title I assistant at the school.
“Studies have shown children who start to volunteer from an early age adopt healthier lifestyle choices and life skills, and continue to volunteer into adulthood,” Andrews said. “At the beginning of the school year, I asked ‘what breaks your heart?’ They did some brainstorming and they talked about all the things in the world that break their heart they wanted to address and do something about. From there, we started planning service projects.”
Children who volunteer have a higher high school graduation rate and are generally more successful in school, according to Scholastic, an educational organization.
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This week, Webb students from all grade levels donated more than 500 dental health products, including toothbrushes and tubes of toothpaste, Andrews said.
Students in classes that donated at least 40 dental products won a popcorn party. Students involved with Helping Hands promoted the donation drive by putting up posters throughout the school and pitching the drive on Webb’s morning announcements.
Next week, students will take the items to Inner Church Food Pantry, where they will be donated to children in recognition of February as National Children’s Dental Health Month. Helping others is an important way to impact the community, fourth grader Lucia Mummert said.
“It means a lot to me; I feel good helping the world a little bit,” Mummert said. “I want to go places and help people and make sure they’re OK.”
Earlier in the school year, students raised money for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and collected treats for dogs at the Humane Society of Johnson County, fourth grader Elizabeth Woods said.
In April, students will hold a breakfast for Officer Jason Hyneman, a full-time school resource officer at Franklin Community Schools, in order to show their appreciation for his work, Andrews said.
Fourth grader Mackensi Spongberg enjoys spreading the word about the projects Helping Hands takes part in, she said.
“I like helping out as much as I can,” Spongberg said. “I tell my family about this and the projects we do. I always say I want to do more stuff to help out the world and change the world.”
Although people’s circumstances may be unfortunate, being able to lend a helping hand is a rewarding experience, fourth grader Alex Kinsey said.
“I don’t like that you have to see a lot of sad things. It feels like your heart just died,” Kinsey said. “But to feel like you’re gonna change it makes you feel like there’s a bit of hope.”
