Building a close knit community takes a tremendous amount of effort, and requires volunteers to help. At Providence Academy, students of every age participate in volunteer work such as going to Feed My Starving Children or raking leaves for the elderly. Most recently, PA students lent a helping hand at the Washburn Games in Minneapolis.
Run by the Washburn center, which aids kids suffering from trauma, depression, or anxiety, the games offer a variety of sports to those who can attend. This year, the games boasted between 400-500 participants, with nearly 15 students from PA helping. Alexandrea Kouame, director of the Washburn Games said, “The Washburn Center believes mental health is just as important as physical health. The kiddos here have heavy weights and monsters and playing sports is one way to help with that.”
The Providence students volunteered at the strength station, where the kids could stretch, jump rope, and see how high they could jump. All student volunteers had a lot of fun teaching and assisting the kids with different skills. There was even a visit from the St. Paul Saints mascot!
When Providence students volunteer, it teaches them about the community they’re living in and ways to positively impact it. Emma Grace Hendrickson ‘20, a volunteer at Washburn this year remarked, “Everyone has something valuable to give and when you give up your time or money for a cause it makes you stop and really value how blessed you are.” Hendrickson, further noted, “It makes me happy to know that I’ve made a positive impact in those families’ lives even if it’s very small.”