In October, our program year kicks off with Seattle school presentations, supply drives, and pick up days in quick succession. This year, our Executive Director, Jaime Dubrulle was honored to take over the job that founder Terry McGill has done so well for so many years: giving our presentation for local students.
Anyone who has had the privilege of seeing Terry talk to a crowd of kids, knows that Jaime had some big shoes to fill. Thankfully she was more than up for the challenge. While aspects of it were intimidating, she found that once she was in front of the kids speaking, her nerves settled, replaced by excitement. The role reminded her of her days as a teacher, and seeing kids’ eyes light up as she spoke reminded her of the joys of teaching.
Before getting in front of kids, though, there was a lot of preparation and hard work to get through. Terry’s presentation has always been rooted in his own stories and experiences in Uganda, so Jaime first had to update it with her own content. She is also in charge of the behind-the-scenes work of coordinating with our Uganda office to match our Seattle schools with a suitable sister school in Uganda, building schedules with our Seattle school staff, and so much more.
All the work was worth it once the kids got to engage with our content and learn about their Sister School. For Jaime, her favorite part of the presentations was getting to introduce the kids to their “new sister.” Each presentation includes a personalized section where students learn specific details about their partner school, including photos, statistics, and a glimpse of daily life at the school. It was lovely to see how excited the students were to become partners. Because of course, the presentations were just the beginning! Next up: supply drives and school pick ups.
After our presentation day, our school coordinators generously organize the supply drive, collecting items, reminding students, and fielding questions. When we return a few weeks later, it’s always amazing to see what our students collected, and this year was no exception.
We’ve done pick ups at two schools so far, and are blown away by the response. Blackwell Elementary donated twice as much this year as they did last year! That in and of itself is worth celebrating, but we’re particularly impressed with their generosity because this is the second year in a row we’ve been to Blackwell, and we typically see a dip in donations on return years rather than a rise. Meanwhile Fernwood Elementary overwhelmed us with the sheer number of students who wanted to donate something and get their photo taken. We can’t wait to see what Salmon Bay has for us when we return there next week.
Needless to say, our Uganda shipment will be FULL this year. Perhaps the most heartwarming part is the sincerity and excitement our students clearly have for this project. The ziplock bags full of gently used crayons and pencils, which were clearly meticulously sorted out at home; the treasured outgrown books, pulled from home libraries to be shared with a new student; the handwritten notes on different items naming their Sister School: each item is clearly given straight from the heart. We’re so proud to be offering students these opportunities to give, and to be nurturing these generous little hearts!
Thank you to all the schools who are partnering with us this year, and a special thank you to the following individuals for going above and beyond to make our programs possible:
Jim Eaton
Megan, Kristin and the entire PTA at Blackwell Elementary
Katherine Berry
Cassie Morton
Sam Olson
Barbara Dixon
We couldn’t do this important work without you.