Palmer Trinity School

Virtual Mentoring/Buddy Program: Twice a week, for 30 minutes, students could sign up to "hang out" with an elementary-age student living at Lotus House Shelter. During this time, they could play games like Bingo, Heads Up or Charades, or even sing songs together to brighten the elementary student's day. Baking Projects: When Miami-Dade County Schools didn't provide meals during holiday breaks, our students suggested baking casseroles and desserts for homeless students at Miami Southridge Senior High School. VIP (Virtual Intergenerational Program) Zoom Buddies and Holiday Baked Goods Program: Students could sign up to connect with a specified "Zoom Buddy" or bake monthly holiday themed treats for residents of Palace Gardens in Homestead. Food Drives: Two PTS students, Andy Malha '22 and Edward Strong '22, took the initiative to give food to people in need in our South Florida community. Within PTS, Andy collected online food donations from Instacart, Walmart, Amazon and more to send to Father Claudio Barbut and his Mission Ruah program in Homestead. Edward collected food donations for a migrant camp in the Redlands that catered to undocumented individuals who had recently lost their jobs and didn't qualify for federal aid. So many Miami-Dade County Public School students didn't have devices that allowed them to stay connected with fellow students online. They were immediately cut off from their safety nets; on so many levels, it was a terrible crisis for at-risk children and their families. The children and families we regularly served at Chapman Partnership, Branches Florida City, Lotus House Shelter and Miami Southridge Senior High School were experiencing hardship like never before. Children in Miami-Dade County were suffering, and agencies all over town began reaching out to community partners for help. Our school community responded immediately, organizing food drives and donating harvests from our Middle School vegetable garden and all the food in the school's cafeteria pantry and deep freezer for those in need. We filled an entire school van, from top to bottom, with food for Branches Florida City. This amazing organization helps families find self-sufficiency through education, and during the pandemic, it committed to feeding approximately 500 people per day. We are so grateful to our students and their families for their great response during this emergency support initiative. According to the National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES): "Episcopal schools like Palmer Trinity School are places that teach students to use both the mind's eye and the eye of the heart: a wholeness of spirit, a connection to others, and a life graced by joy and purpose." We strive for equity and justice not because it's trendy, but because it is our call to serve. The impact of this type of education isn't linear, but exponential. Each life touched is like a pebble in a pond. Building compassion for service helps our students grow as student leaders and develop lifelong capacities for service, both by identifying needs and helping to fill them. Our students and their families are forever changed by receiving this kind of education, as are the lives of the thousands of graduates over the lifetime of the school who bring a sense of purpose and inner strength to whatever they do. Righting wrongs, speaking out against oppression, and belonging to something you believe in—this is what matters. This is why service matters. Rachel Remen, an American author and thought leader, once wrote: "Serving is different from helping. Helping is based on inequality; it is not a relationship between equals. When you help, you use your own strength to help those of lesser strength. If I pay attention to what's going on inside me when I am helping, I find that I'm always helping someone not as strong as I am. People genuinely feel this inequality. When we help, we may inadvertently take away from people more than we could ever give them; we may diminish their self-esteem, sense of worth, integrity, and wholeness. When we help, we are very aware of our own strength. But, when we serve, we serve with our whole selves, not our strength. We draw from all our individual experiences. The wholeness in us serves the wholeness in others and in life. Service, you see, is a relationship between equals. From the perspective of service, we are all connected; all suffering is like my suffering and joy is like my joy. An attitude of service provides healing to all." Now at the end of a challenging year, we are still uncertain as to what we can expect next and if we really will be "back to normal" for the new school year. Even with that uncertainty, my heart is so full of pride and appreciation for our caring, thoughtful and loving community. Our students and parents support our Service Living program through their actions and words. We are so proud of all our students, from 6 th grade all the way to our graduating seniors. Thank you for serving with your heart open and for making a significant difference. S U MME R 2 0 2 1 19

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