今年假期期间，Evergreen学校的二年级学生们在寻找一种有意义的方式来帮助社区中不幸的孩子们。我们的学生Aliya评论道：“我们希望那些没有东西的孩子能得到他们所需要的。”经过一番讨论，学生们和他们的老师决定帮助无家可归的儿童，并选择与Stephen's Backpack Society合作。他们制定了一个雄心勃勃的目标，筹集1200美元，用来装满50个背包，里面装有一些必备物品。“这是关于给那些没有家的人提供他们所需要的东西，”Daniel解释道。

学生们通过制作海报和公告与整个学校分享了他们的愿景，宣传了一次二手书籍和玩具销售活动，所筹集的所有款项将捐给Stephen's Backpack Society。我们社区开始支持这一倡议，各年级的学生纷纷捐赠精心使用过的玩具和书籍来支持这个事业。二手玩具和书籍销售活动取得了巨大成功，为Stephen's Backpack Society筹集到800美元，但学生们距离目标还差400美元。学生们和老师们接受了这一暂时的挫折，并讨论如何弥补差额。最后，他们决定要求Evergreen的每个学生捐赠1美元来提供帮助，仅仅一周的时间内他们就实现了目标。

Aliya反思道：“我为我所做的帮助感到自豪，希望那些收到背包的孩子们知道我们关心他们。”“我喜欢帮助他人，”Daniel表达道，“我最喜欢的部分就是我们给予了人们他们所需要的东西。”
我们为我们学习社区的顽强、同情心和行动感到自豪，他们能够看到周围的机会，给予那些需要帮助和希望的人们。

在项目完成后，这些背包被醒目地展示在我们的集会区，与我们的食品银行物品并列，作为我们共同努力在社区中产生影响的例证。假期刚结束之前，Stephen本人与Stephen's Backpack Society的工作人员一起前来收走背包，这些背包上有他的名字，传承着他的给予和希望的精神。

​The Grade 2s at Evergreen School were looking for a meaningful way to help the less fortunate children in their community this past holiday season. “We wanted kids that don’t get things to get what they need,” commented Aliya, one of our students. After some discussion, the students and their teachers were inspired to help homeless children and chose to partner with Stephen’s Backpack Society to do so. They set an ambitious goal of raising $1,200 to fill 50 backpacks full of some essential materials. “It’s about giving people that don’t have homes stuff they need,” explained Daniel.

The students shared their vision with the rest of the school by making posters and announcements advertising a used book & toy sale with all the money raised going to Stephen’s Backpacks. Our community got behind the initiative and students from all grades began bringing in gently used toys and books to support the cause. The used toy and book sale was a huge success and raised $800 for Stephen’s Backpacks, but the students were $400 short of their goal. The students and teachers absorbed this temporary set-back and discussed how they could make up the difference. In the end they decided to ask each student at Evergreen to bring a $1 donation to help and within the week they had realized their goal.

Aliya reflected, “It made me proud that I was helping and I hope the kids that get the backpacks know that we care about them.” “I like helping people” Daniel expressed, “and my favorite part was that we gave people what they need.”
We are proud of our learning community’s resilience, compassion and action in seeing the opportunities around them to bring help and hope to those in need.

Since the completion of the project, the backpacks have been prominently displayed in our Gathering Area beside our Food Bank items as examples of how our collective efforts can make a difference in our communities. Just before the break, Stephen himself of Stephen’s Backpack Society arrived with a crew to pick up the backpacks that bear his name and carry on his legacy of giving and hope.