Mr. Jones is a middle school teacher from Indiana who values service-learning and philanthropy education for two reasons. "We are helping those in need," he said. "And, we are teaching students how to be empathetic."  

 

Just under 1,000 students participated in the mini-grant supported project Bags of Hope 2018.  

 

After incorporating the lesson Reaching Out to the Community--Beyond, students self-promoted a drive and event at the school to collect donations to create bags for children in foster care. 

 

Bags of Hope is an organization that helps children in foster care. When children are removed from their biological homes, it is often in a stressful situation. Belongings are often lost in the shuffle. Bags of Hope is all about trying to help children in foster care keep their belongings safe.  

 

"Those kids finally got to call something their own," one student reflected. "Knowing that everyone is coming together to accomplish something for the common good makes all the work worthwhile," said another.  

 

After the successful assembly---the word was out--- and students are already gearing up and want to make 2019 Bags of Hope bigger and better! 

 

"The final products and project made the event an incredible moment for these students," said Mr. Jones.