THE HABIT OF HELPING The Habit of Helping, the term employed by Dan White in 1989 for the 25th anniversary, turned out to be more than a one-year emphasis, and the motto and inclination is still one practiced by the SCDS community today. Lower school head Christy Vail describes the “Habit of Helping” as what we, as a community, do to help others, from picking up trash on our own campus to constructing a concrete floor in faraway Rulindo. During the last several decades, the SCDS community has volunteered and/or raised funds for an ever-changing, though sometimes constant, group of charities, including Coats for Kids, Christmas Promise, American River Parkway cleanup, and supplies for Kosovo. Why do projects come and go? Faculty member Elena Bennett writes that “service projects often start when a member of the community—student, parent, staff member—is interested in an issue or cause, starts working for it, and convinces other people to help. If the project gains enough supporters and has strong leadership, it may become a tradition.” The annual Turkey Drive started in 2011 because a group of fifth grade students had the idea, created a flyer asking for donations of frozen turkeys, and, in one day, with a goal of 43 (the number of students in their class), collected 101 turkeys for the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services. The Turkey Drive continues with the number of donated turkeys increasing each year: 278 in 2014. Who will spearhead the drive after those fifth graders, now almost high schoolers, head off to college?
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A parent with a concern for foster youth started a toy drive, which is in its third year. Ten years ago, the high school student council befriended students at the Dyer-Kelly elementary school and set up an annual breakfast and/or outing, as well as additional contacts throughout the school year. The school’s participation in the Run to Feed the Hungry, also benefitting the Sacramento Food Bank, was championed by just a few enthusiasts 10 years ago, and Sacramento Country Day has been the top fundraising team for the last nine years. Country Day’s affiliation with the Rulindo Schools in Rwanda was introduced by just one person, French teacher Gerlinde Klauser, and her lower school French students, starting with a pen-pal correspondence in 2006.
The 2013 Run to Feed the Hungry team shows off their team shirts prior to the start of the event.