St. Margaret School Mighty Support to Narberth Food Bank

St. Margaret School's Kids Care
Club kicked off Catholic Schools Week with a fundraiser for the Narberth Community Food Bank (NCFB) in Narberth in earlier this year as a celebration of service & community. 

With the generous support of Sony Pictures and the Narberth Stadium 2 Theatre, SMS hosted a special screening of The Mighty Macs (www.themightymacs.com) at the Narberth theatre. The movie relates the inspiring true story about Immaculata University's Cinderella women's basketball team, which improbably won three national championships in the early
1970s under the guidance of Cathy Rush. The movie’s emphasis on victory through team efforts mirrors
the Kids Care Club’s primary mission of providing service to the immediate community and the surrounding area.

The Mighty Macs screening brought the community together in a "mighty" fashion.  St. Margaret school children and families, parishioners and other Narberth Community Food Bank (NCFB) supporters
were among the 200+ patrons who poured into the Narberth Theatre on Saturday morning to attend the 10am showing. In place of a box-office charge, each movie-goer donated $5 and one canned good item to support the
NCFB.   Over $1100 and more than 200 canned-good and non-perishable item donations were generated for the Narberth Community Food Bank by this event.  Gigi Tevlin-Moffat, Narberth Community Food Bank Coordinator,
said: “It is overwhelming to receive these donations and be recognized for the work we do for the community”. 

Attendees on Saturday were thrilled with this opportunity
to watch The Mighty Macs on the big screen prior to its DVD release scheduled for February 21. The event held special meaning for Narberth resident Barb DeNault, long-time SMS parishioner whose two children graduated
from St Margaret School. DeNault sponsors “Nan’s
Mighty Macs” team each summer in the Narberth Basketball League in memory of her mother, one of the first team captains for the Mighty Macs (1950-54).
DeNault commented that “The Mighty Mac story shows how individual efforts can come together as a whole to achieve miraculous results, which is a much-needed
message of hope for our times.”

St Margaret School principal Sister Corinne Ritchie was pleased  but not surprised with the great turnout. “Service is a cornerstone of Catholic education, as is the concept of interdependence. This event is a perfect example of how our school and community work together to help those less
fortunate than ourselves.” St. Margaret School promotes
service through its curriculum by incorporating class-driven and school-wide projects that include the participation of students, faculty and families. 

The recent Archdiocese Blue Ribbon Commission recommendations set forth a plan for reorganization and bringing communities together. Today, St. Margaret School serves as Lower Merion’s regional Catholic elementary school, with a student population that includes children of the parish of St. Margaret, St. Matthias, St. John Vianney,
Presentation BVM, Our Mother of Good Council, and St. Thomas of Villanova parishes. As a regional school, SMS plans to expand its community-based efforts and outreach efforts to both Lower Merion and Philadelphia neighborhoods. 

The school’s Kids Care Club spearheads these service efforts. SMS Kids Care Club is an active member of generationOn (www.generationon.org), a global youth service movement igniting the power of all kids to make their mark on the world. Its mission is “to inspire, equip, and mobilize youth to take action that changes the world and themselves through service.”

Education at St. Margaret School seeks to instill the 2012 theme of Catholic Schools – Faith, Academics and
Service - to each and every child day after day each year. Our high academic standards, strong moral values and enthusiastic faculty and staff represent the best attributes of Catholic elementary education. To learn more about St. Margaret  School, visit our website: www.saint-margaret.org.