The leaves are dropping, people are taking down their Halloween decorations, and questions like “what is a cornucopia?” and “who is hosting Thanksgiving?” are floating around again. Turkey day is coming up, but that also means our annual Day of Giving is right around the corner.

Day of Giving is a unique (and recent) Beaver Area tradition the half-day before Thanksgiving Break. Every student is assigned a community service task (of their choice). Whether that be planting bulbs around the school, baking cookies, or making cards to give to the nursing home, there’s an activity fit for everyone.

However, this year SHOUT (Social Handprints Overcoming Unjust Treatment) Club—the organizers of Day of Giving—are trying something different. They’ve decided to have different clubs, organizations, and sports teams come up with their own activities that members can participate in. In this way students can have more control over what service project they want to do.

But don’t worry to all of the lone wolves out there—if you’re not part of an organization there will still be activities to choose from.

SHOUT actually has a survey circulating that asks students about what organizations they are part of and what that organization will do on Day of Giving.

For example, the swim team is teaching water safety, Best Buddies are painting kindness rocks, and the boys and girls soccer teams are making care packages for local women's and men’s shelters.

The SHOUT Club is also making their final preparations for the big day. This year, Mrs. Heather Bixler and Ms. Aimee Firmani (the club sponsors) actually applied to DonersChoose to raise money for the supplies. By doing this, the club has all of the supplies needed for the Day of Giving much earlier than in previous years.

In regards to the new format Ms. Firmani said, “I am really excited we are getting different groups and teams involved so they participate in something that is meaningful to them. As one club, we don’t know all of the needs that could be addressed in our community, so with this new format we can put our kind handprints over more hateful footprints.”

The SHOUT president, senior Quinn O’Leary, thinks, “students volunteering with their chosen organization gives them a new sense of initiative and ownership in their school and community.”

Make sure to keep an eye out for the registration survey indicating what you want to do as your community service activity on Day of Giving. Whether that means staying with the organization you’re part of or branching out to another activity, be sure to give back—in one way or another—to the community that generously supports you. Participate in Day of Giving!