Last week, the Havens Community Service Crew (the Crew) met for their monthly after-school activity to help a local nonprofit that they had not worked with before, the Greater Richmond Interfaith Program (GRIP). A multicultural community outreach, advocacy and homelessness prevention organization, GRIP has been supporting both individuals and families making the transition to self-sufficiency since 1971.
In response to GRIP’s need to give their younger children something to do, the Crew enthusiastically assembled preschool activity packets with fun items such as coloring pages, crayons, stickers, and turkey puppet kits in time for Thanksgiving.
Eleanor Vo, a regular Crew participant, said of the work, “We had so much fun because we were like a factory!” And when asked if he thought the preschool kids could make the turkeys, her brother, Jordan, replied, “Yeah. Even I could do it! It’s easy.”
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After assembling the activity packets, the Crew decorated the packages with inspired drawings of rainbows and hearts, and messages such as “You’re a star, shine on,” “Awesome,” and “Ready to have fun.” As a final project, they drew beautiful autumn scenes for GRIP to use in their holiday décor.
All in all, the Crew had a great time working on the various projects and were excited to help other children in the Bay Area. Sage Mosely, a first time Havens Crew participant, had a fantastic time and remarked, “This is so much fun. Can I do this again next month?”