Community Service & Environmental Awareness Projects
Mission: To provide San Antonio Academy students and teachers with opportunities to serve others in their local community and abroad.
Community
Living Legacy Program
The Living Legacy Program at Chandler Nursing Home in Monte Vista was established in 1988 after realizing the importance of intergenerational relationships. The program teams sixth, seventh and eighth grade students with a senior buddy so that the two can get to know each other through a series of one-on-one interviews. After several visits with their resident, the students write poems, which they recite aloud during a presentation party. Today, the program continues to touch the lives of Academy boys and their senior friends.
Annual Community Outreach:
The PRE-K boys collect new, unwrapped toys for needy children to be distributed through the Sonny Melendrez Foundation.
KINDER students collect school supplies (crayons, markers, tissue paper, water colors, etc.) for The Children's Bereavement Center of South Texas.
1ST GRADERS collect pet supplies (quilts, soft training treats, tennis balls, rubbing alcohol) for the San Antonio Humane Society.
2ND GRADERS grade students collect new children’s books for the San Antonio Assistance League “Togs for Tots” kits. Then they take a field trip to the Assistance League’s Thrift Shop in the spring to help assemble personal hygiene kits that will accompany the new books for those children in need.
3RD GRADERS collect new or gently-used books to donate to San Antonio's Children Shelter. The Children's Shelter puts children first by providing a safe place for children in crisis.
4TH GRADERS collect food items to help children at Stafford Elementary, SAISD, who without this assistance, might go without breakfast and lunch during the two-week holiday break. The food is slipped into the backpacks of these children in need.
5TH GRADERS collect unwrapped and new toys for boys and girls at CAM (Christian Assistance Ministry), which serves 56,000 people annually, and 14,000 of which are children. Other donations include baby items, sports items, lotions, bath items, jewelry, socks, etc.
6TH GRADERS collect new socks and underwear and new or gently-used coats to benefit the homeless served by the SA Catholic Worker House. The boys also visit the Worker House and help serve meals to the homeless.
7TH GRADERS collect money to donate to World Vision, an international organization that "builds a better world for children" and helps families struggling to survive.
8TH GRADERS collect money to help the underprivileged children living in Los Quinchos in Nicaragua. The money provides food, clothing, and education to over 150 children who live with their families in this devastatingly poor area.
SCHOOLWIDE: The Academy participates in an End-of-the-Year School Supplies Drive to assist the students and teachers at the PreK – 12th grade school at the Battered Women and Children’s Shelter.
ANNUAL FOOD DRIVE: In early December, SAA boys bring canned goods and non-perishable food items to donate to the San Antonio Food Bank. Since 2003, The Academy has collected 26,722 pounds of food.
PENNIES FOR PATIENTS: SAA participates annually in the program benefitting The Lukemia & Lymphoma society during February. Today, total exceed $25,000.
Environmental
CAMPUS-WIDE RECYCLE PROGRAM
In an effort to pitch in and do our part to help the environment, SAA is making a campus-wide push to recycle the paper produced in classrooms, workrooms, and administrative offices. Big thanks to faculty member, Cathy Baumbgardner, who spearheads this essential effort.
CORKS FOR CANCER
The Cork Project is a way to reduce items put into landfills and at the same time donates money toward cancer research.
Spec's is working with Widgetco, a company responsible for making new products with recyclable materials, to keep trash out of landfills. As an added bonus, for every cork turned in Spec’s makes a 4 cent donation to The Ready or Not Foundation, whose mission is to promote a national and international awareness of pediatric brain cancer, and to raise research dollars in search for better treatments and a cure for pediatric brain cancer. You can find out more by visiting http://www.specsonline.com/ and following the link for Charitable Foundation.
How Can You Get Involved? Take your corks (natural or synthetic) to any local San Antonio Spec's and tell Ms. Baumgardner how many you dropped off for our school count. Or if it's easier, you can send them to Ms. Baumgardner's classroom and she will deliver them to Spec's. If you have a restaurant or related business, you can contact them and they will assist you by providing a recycling bin at your location. Learn more