Sandia Prep's Junior Civitans Treat Kids To New Shoes Click here to view a publication on Sandia Prep's Community Service Program (as a PDF file).
Sandia Prep's Junior Civitans Treat Kids To New Shoes Sandia Prep's Junior Civitans recently hosted another Zapatos outing, during which they treated 39 local children to a new pair shoes and new socks of their own choosing. Afterwards, Prep students hosted a pizza lunch for the younger children at their elementary school.
Founded more than a decade ago by members of Sandia Prep's Upper School Junior Civitan chapter, the Zapatos program benefits local elementary students in need.
Sandia Prep student volunteers raise all of the funds needed to fund the program through work activities, such as parking cars during the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
Twenty-one SPS Upper School students traveled to Pass Christian, Mississippi last spring to do post-Katrina rebuilding. The group volunteered through the Restoration Point Foundation, a disaster response and recovery organization based in Pass Christian. They spent their time doing detail work on homes, cleaning up debris and interacting with local survivors. The SPS student / faculty group is planning a return trip over the upcoming Spring Break to continue their work with the residents of Pass Christian.
Prep 7th-graders chose to clean up the city as their volunteer effort this year. Students spent their Wednesday afternoon painting over graffiti in the Mountain View neighborhood. Their efforts were front page news in the West Side Journal.
As a token of appreciation for the 9th-graders participation in the anti-graffiti community service program in the fall, Michael Rodriquez of the Bernalillo County Anti-graffiti Program donated six mountain ash trees to the students. The 9th grade class planted the trees throughout the campus.
Sandia Prep 8th-graders have chosen Special Olympics New Mexico (SONM) for a community service project this year. Students will volunteer at various Special Olympics events throughout the year. Recently, the SPS 8th graders assisted Special Olympics athletes at a bowling event. Up next, 8th graders will help with SONM basketball events.
For almost half a century, our students and teachers have been engaged in service to the wider community. We believe that each person can make a difference in the lives of others. With guidance from adult supervisors, students volunteer to choose, lead and direct all community service projects at Sandia Prep.
More than 90 percent of students are involved in Sandia Prep’s Community Service Program. Through voluntary, student-led projects, Sandia Prep students discover the joy of service to others while making a positive impact in the community. For many, their experience at Sandia Prep forms the foundation for a lifelong commitment to service and volunteerism.
Projects carried out by Sandia Prep’s Community Service Program include:
| Zapatos: | Founded by SPS students in 1992, this program pairs elementary students in need with SPS Upper Schoolers who provide shoes, socks and mentoring. SPS students raise all necessary funds through work projects, such as parking cars at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. |
| Storehouse: | SPS Junior Civitans gather donations and volunteer on-site at a local food bank. |
| Cuidando Los Niños: | Sandia Prep students help at a daycare for homeless children. |
| Carrie Tingley Hospital Foundation: | SPS Junior Civitans lend a hand with patient/family events by sewing and filling holiday stockings and more. Ronald McDonald House: Sandia Prep 9th graders clean the facility and provide dinner for guest families. |
| Special Olympics: | SPS 8th graders assist with various Special Olympics sporting events; SPS Junior Civitans “adopt” and cheer on delegations of athletes with disabilities during state competitions. |
| Bosque Restoration: | Prep students assist with Bosque reclamation efforts. |
| Mission Avenue Elementary: | Students help with the “Turkey Trot” an annual Thanksgiving celebration at Mission Avenue Elementary School. Students also serve as judges for Mission's science fair. |
| Big Brothers, Big Sisters: | SPS Junior Civitans mentor younger children. |
| Services for the Elderly: | SPS 6th graders clean homes for the elderly through the Senior Affairs Department. |
| Los Ranchos Elementary: | Sandia Prep 9th graders tutor elementary students. SPS National Honor Society members tutor elementary students: SPS Junior Civitan members partner with 5th grade students as writing buddies. |
| Friends In Time: | SPS baseball team members volunteer time to help thosewith Multiple Sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS). |
| Albuquerque Rescue Mission: | SPS basketball team members help to serve food. |
| Boys Club of Rio Rancho: | Sandia Prep soccer team members run a soccer clinic for members of the Boys Club. |
| Katrina Recovery Trip: | SPS 11th and 12th graders traveled to Pass Christian, Mississippi to aid residents after Hurricane Katrina. |
| Mexico Trip: | SPS Upper School Spanish language students travel to Mexico (Nov. ’06) to create a park, install playground equipment, conduct art activities and plant trees in the community of Rancho de Colorada, Mexico. |
| Muscular Dystrophy Association | |
| Rio Grande Zoo | |
| United Blood Services Blood Drive |
Below is a list of ways Sandia Prep students may become involved in the Community Service Program:
Contact Paul Huitt, SPS Community Service Director for more information.
email: phuitt@sandiaprep.org
phone: 505.338.3024