Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) celebrates and mobilizes the millions of young people who improve their communities each day of the year through service. Established in 1988, Global Youth Service Day is the largest service event in the world, and the only day of service dedicated to children and youth.
GYSD is celebrated each year in over 100 countries, with young people working together–and with schools, youth organizations, nonprofits, community and faith-based organizations, national service programs, government agencies, and adult mentors– to address the world’s most critical issues and change their communities.
The 95 youth of Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Complex became part of this important event by agreeing upon a social issue to which they felt they could make a positive impact: local hunger.
The young people began by learning about hunger and its impact on individuals and communities. They chose to create boxes for a food drive to benefit Good Samaritan Ministries of Brownwood during its Feinstein Challenge. Seven hundred twenty five pounds of food were donated which will also count as $725 toward the challenge. They selected the agency’s Food for Thought program which provides food on the weekends to food insecure children who might not otherwise have enough to eat when school is out of session.
“Our Student Council and Pride Dorm created the boxes for the drive and they were placed in the community by Chaplain Allison Voss and Bob Contreras, Family Liaison. “The students on each dorm then proceeded to make uplifting bookmarks with messages of hope to place in the schoolchildren’s weekend food bags,” said Barbara McBride, Community Relations Coordinator.
The next step was to get the entire Ron Jackson community involved, which happened with a Hunger Awareness Presentation on Sunday, April 28th. The students wrote poetryandcreated artwork then presented it to the audience which included students, staff, volunteers and community members. The RJSJCC Choir, led by Mrs. Jeannie Blackstock, performed “It’s a Small World” both in song and with hand bells. They also sang “Lean on Me” which was complimented by interpretive dance.
Mrs. Angelia Bostick, of Good Samaritan Ministries, was on hand to explain the needs of the local area and how the food the students raised was going to positively impact the familiesthat Good Samaritan serves. Mrs. Bostick also handed out certificates of appreciation to the Ron Jackson Student Council members who worked so hard in educating and mobilizing their peers.She told the participating youth that this should be a challenge to the community.
“If you can do what you’ve just done and accomplished what you’ve just accomplished behind this fence, imagine what the community can do outside of this fence to help local families in need,” Bostick said, commending the girls on a job well done. “We couldn’t do everything that we do and provide for the people in our community that need a hand up without the help of our community, without your help and we are so thankful for this gift.”
The food collected will be added to the monthly grocery staples that GSM gives out through their food pantry and the bookmarks will be added to the weekend food bags for the students enrolled in the Food for Thought Program.
Just over 1,000 families on average pick up food staples at GSM each month and 115 students are enrolled in the Food for Thought program on 11 campuses in Brown County.
Pictured are Misty Bowers of Good Samaritan Ministries and Allison Voss from the Ron Jackson unit with some of the students’ creations.
