Local students mark 12th year of 1,000 acts of kindness in one day

Covenant Life School in Gaithersburg completed its 12^th annual Servathon, a “Day of Service,” in which students carried out 1,000 acts of community service in a single day in April, including meals, handmade gifts, volunteer hours, supply kits, donations and more.

Every student, from preschool through high school, participated in this annual event, which has been recognized with a Maryland Governor's Citation for "outstanding service...to the citizens of this state...". The event received this recognition from former Governor Larry Hogan for its long-standing commitment to serving the community.

“Serving begins with a posture of the heart. It’s not about us; it’s about others – about being the type of person who brings help, love and light to the people around us, as we set a pace of excellence, faithfulness and genuine love and humility for others to see,” said Jamie Leach, Head of the PreK to 12 private Christian school.

The 1000 acts of service included:

• Serving at local non-profits including Camp Bennett, Pope Farm Nursery, Shady Grove Presbyterian Church, Comfort Cases, Asbury Methodist Retirement Village, and Ben Gaither and Forest Oak Senior Centers
• Creating dinner and snack boxes for those facing food insecurity
• Assembling House Cleaning and Toiletry kits for new homeowners previously experiencing homelessness through MoCo Coalition for the Homeless
• Making baby blankets for newborn babies at Shady Grove Pregnancy Center
• Crafting homemade thank-you cards for local police, EMS, doctors and nurses; tissue-flower bouquets for mothers on bedrest at Shady Grove Adventist; and animal toys and blankets for MoCo Animal Services and Adoption Center
• Collecting and donating new coats and stuffed animals for MoCo Family Justice Center and used sports equipment for Leveling the Playing Field

The Servathon continues to make a meaningful impact on local organizations. “It was great having the students at the [senior] center and the seniors loved them,” said Gayathri Aluvihare, Program Supervisor of the Benjamin Gaither Center. Miranda Marks, Community Engagement Coordinator for Interfaith Essential Needs Center remarked, “We are so grateful to everyone at Covenant Life School for helping support our neighbors in need.”

Covenant Life School, founded in 1979, is a dual-accredited, independent Pre-K through 12^th grade school located in Gaithersburg. To learn more about Servathon, visit www.covenantlifeschool.org/support-cls.