More than 160 St. John’s Episcopal School students and parents participated in the school’s first Parent/Child Community Service Day Saturday. Sponsored by St. John's dads' group the Crusader Club, the event united families for a morning of service to local agencies and organizations. “Our goal is to promote family volunteerism,” said organizer and St. John’s staff member Jennifer Barrow.

Volunteer teams were formed according to the students’ ages so activities would be age-appropriate. Three teams went to work at the White Rock YMCA; one prepared blankets and care packages for children in Haiti; one painted cubbies to be used by children in the YMCA’s after school and camp programs; and the third plotted an area outside and began digging a garden that will eventually grow vegetables and perennials. “I feel pretty good,” said second grader Madeline Claybrook, “because we’re helping the people in Haiti, and I’m doing it with my dad.” Outside, fifth grader Parker Allen took a quick break from digging the garden to talk about his team’s project, “We’ll plant broccoli, potatoes, onions, carrots and some flowers. It’s very, very hard work, but it’s fun, it helps people, and later, someone is going to eat really well!”

At Family Gateway, an agency that helps homeless families become self-sufficient, a team of students and parents spent the morning on fun activities with children. Family Gateway Community Relations Manager Shama Shams commented on the morning’s entertainment, “We don’t have a lot of planned activities for the children on weekends, so it’s especially nice to have other children here to interact with them. It’s empowering for both groups--our children and the volunteers.” Children dressed in costumes, decorated cookies, painted fingernails and played games together. St. John's parent Simon Whiting snapped pictures of the costumed children, who then waited anxiously for them to print. Five-year-old Lamara dressed up in glittery angel wings and showed off her sparkling fingernails saying, “This is a fun party!”

Two more teams helped at the Salvation Army Carr P. Collins Center by sorting food donations collected at school, decorating and assembling bags, helping prepare the dining rooms for lunch, and serving lunch. According to Salvation Army Volunteer Coordinator Nancy Kerley, the agency serves between 1,200 and 1,400 hot meals each day and expected around 400 men, women and children for lunch Saturday.

Other teams completed projects for Community Partners of Dallas, Dallas Life Foundation and Juliette Fowler Homes. “We hope today was the start of an annual tradition,” said Barrow.

The Crusader Club was formed in 2001 to give St. John's dads and granddads a direct way to support the school. The Crusader Club has grown steadily since then and sponsors social and fundraising events for dads, helps with school functions, and provides dads a unique opportunity for school participation.