A few times a year, the Foundation to Be Named Later Boston Civic Engagement (BCE) Team has the opportunity to organize a service day that directly impacts one of our Whole School Whole Child schools. As a team that focuses primarily on physical service throughout the entire city, these days are a wonderful opportunity for us to feel connected to City Year Boston’s in-school service.
On December 2, the Foundation to Be Named Later BCE Team converged on the National Grid offices in Waltham, Mass. to host a service day to benefit students at the Blackstone Elementary School, where National Grid sponsors a City Year team. City Year’s National Grid Team also attended the event to support the day’s service and provide National Grid employees with insight into their service at the Blackstone.
National Grid team member, India Cobb, cuts out material for Blackstone's behavior initiatives.
National Grid was interested in engaging its employees in a day of service so that they could learn more about City Year and all that National Grid does to support our mission. To involve as many people as possible, the service day was located at their offices so that employees could take an hour or two out of their workday to volunteer with the National Grid Team. The day was centered around “workshop” projects, which can be done very easily, facilitating the production of a large amount of materials. Each project was specially requested by the teachers and administration at the Blackstone to meet particular areas of need at the school. Among other projects, National Grid volunteers made scarves, stuffed teddy bears, and decorated winter hats that will be used as incentives for the school’s attendance and behavior initiatives, which are heavily supported by City Year’s National Grid Team.
The National Grid employees loved hearing about the service that their company sponsors from a corps member’s perspective and have expressed interest in hosting another physical service event at the school this spring.
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