HANNIBAL — A group of seniors will soon walk away from Hannibal High School with a deeper understanding of what it means to give back.
On Thursday afternoon 90 students volunteered to do service work in the Hannibal community during the first Pirate Pride Day of Caring. Students were able to choose from a variety of projects.
Senior Avion Scott, who plans to attend the University of Missouri in the fall for aesthetic nursing, helped at the Mark Twain Museum pulling weeds and putting mulch down. Scott said she chose the project to help make the downtown look nice for tourists this summer,
“Hannibal has always helped us to work better toward our schooling and our goals and I feel like it’s really important to give back to the community,” she said.
Iyanna Hampton and Alaya Greer volunteered at the food pantry at Douglass Community Center. Both girls wanted to participate in packing boxes because they know people in the community need them.
“There are people struggling in the world and things like that. I think it’s important for people to spread happiness and give back,” said Alaya.
“I like giving back and helping,” added Iyanna. “It’s a really nice thing to do.”
Alaya and Iyanna packed around 30 boxes while another volunteer helped load boxes into cars for people who came to the food pantry.
Just down the hall, Jenna Ludsky, Rachel Deloney, and Samuel Rose helped with sorting clothing at the Douglass Community thrift store. They sorted 12 boxes and more than two racks of summer clothes to go out for sale and winter clothing to put back for the season.
Samuel was already experienced through volunteering at the thrift store through his church, Holy Family. Volunteering through tutoring is something he is already considering for the falls when he attends Auburn University in Alabama.
“There are so many people who are less fortunate and you want to go out there and help because somebody needs to,” he said.
Stacey Nicholas, chief development officer at Douglass, said the organization was blessed by the students who helped for the day.
“Douglass Community Service has an exceptional partnership with Hannibal High School and the Hannibal School District and we are very proud of that partnership and it works well for both of us,” she said. “We are just thrilled that these young people are here today learning about what we do and making a difference in their community.”
Amanda Bowen, caseworker at Salvation Army, said the students who helped at the Salvation Army thrift store were surprised to learn a lot of the services they provide.
“They discussed friends and family members who they knew might need help,” she said. “I loved the enthusiasm they had and the eagerness to learn. And they were so much fun.”
Other organizations students volunteered at were the Aquatics Center, Hannibal YMCA, and they worked on flower boxes at the levee and painted at Hannibal Middle School.
The idea stemmed from last year when Chad Douglas, corporate and donor relations at Salvation Army, recruited students from the high school to participate in the Salvation Army’s Christmas distribution.
“They did a wonderful job and I spoke to Whitney Nolan who was a teacher and supplied some of them and actually came with her family and volunteered,” he said. “I think it’s a great idea to get the youth involved because they are the next generation and teaching them what all the community services do is important for them.”
Douglas said Noland plans to start a volunteer club at the high school and today was a trial run for future student involvement in community projects.
“We did the day of caring as somewhat of a trial run and it’s been more successful than any of us have imagined and a big success so onward and forward from here,” he said.
Ted Sampson, principal at Hannibal High School, said the day took a lot of organizing by the committee which alongside him included teachers Whitney Noland and Sheryl Gamble, and Andrea Campbell, public relations specialist for the Hannibal School District.
Sampson hopes to have projects throughout the years which will include younger grades.
“We depend on organizations to help us out just with a lot of different things and a lot of our families do,” he said. “It’s important that kids realize as they get older that it can be fulfilling to give back to do some projects to help folks.”
After a morning of work, students gathered at the Y Men’s Pavillion for lunch. They also heard words of encouragement by several leaders of the organizations they helped.
Denise Damron, executive director of the United Way of the Mark Twain Area, reminded students that everyone has the same 24 hours in a day to choose what to do with.
“We can do things that are fulfilling for ourselves like a hobby or something that we enjoy. We can veg out on the couch and watch tv. Or we can do something good for someone else who has a need,” she said. “Today you guys stepped up and did that.”
