The “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” of 1918 ended the “War to End all War.” In 1919, President Wilson named the anniversary of the armistice signing a national day of celebration to be known as Armistice Day. In 1954, President Eisenhower expanded the reach to celebrate the nation’s recognition for all those who have served in the Armed Forces.
As The Winchendon School (TWS) observes Veteran’s Day, we want to take the time to recognize the work being done by our own Service Learning group, Veterans Outreach.
Will H. ‘19, (above) the student leader for Veterans Outreach, comes from a family with a strong history of serving in the Navy. Will first chose Veterans Outreach for his Service Learning project his first year, largely in part because of his family background. When he learned the Service Learning project was in need of new student leadership, Will stepped up to the opportunity. Now, Will provides the leadership to 11 members of the team.
Service Learning differs from community service in several key ways. Creating partnerships with local community organizations is one way in which service learning and community service differ. The TWS Service Learning group partnered with the Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center for the past three years.
The Outreach Center helps local veterans with issues including housing, transportation, food insecurity, and mental health. This year, the Service Learning group is working on helping the Outreach Center with funding by holding a raffle for Bruins and Celtics tickets.
“We’ll start selling the raffle tickets after the Thanksgiving break and everyone in the community is encouraged to buy raffle tickets,” Will said recently. “Tickets will be $5 for your first raffle ticket and $3 for every one after the first.”
The raffle is the group’s largest fundraiser for the year and all proceeds go directly to the Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center.
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