Nationwide Student Community Service Project Turns Disaster Into Thanksgiving Opportunity
Students across the country sold tickets, cooked Thanksgiving meals and served dinners to benefit the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. The World's Largest Thanksgiving Dinner is an annual community service project designed to help encourage a culture of citizenship and responsibility in young Americans.
Washington, DC (PRWEB) November 25, 2004
From the Bronx, New York to Pocatello, Idaho and from Riverside, California to Bay City, Texas, students across America gave of their time and energy to benefit the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. America’s All Stars and Youth Service America, two national youth-development nonprofit organizations, joined forces to sponsor the “World’s Largest Thanksgiving Dinner” which occurs annually the Thursday before Thanksgiving. This student-run, community service project took place in school cafeterias across the country; and all the effort the students invested in selling tickets, cooking dinners, and serving meals to the general public has created a great deal of excitement. As Brian Roquemore, the founder of America’s All Stars, puts it, “We are eagerly awaiting to hear from schools across the nation regarding the amount of money contributed to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. We know for example that Waddell High School in Charlotte, North Carolina raised $ 2,000 with 400 people in attendance and Norte Vista High School in Riverside, California raised $516.88 and is putting together Thanksgiving baskets of food for needy families. Stockbridge High School in Georgia donated $ 600.00 and 14,000 canned goods.
Over 100 schools signed up to hold the World’s Largest Thanksgiving Dinner to help the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund which aids the victims of the recent hurricanes as well as thousands of other disaster victims around the country. “Schools that get involved in this project,” says Roquemore, “see the importance of giving. America’s All Stars’ motto is ‘building character through community service.’ Giving is key. People who learn how to give live better lives. The students who were involved in these dinners did give of their time and energy and that’s the true success of this event. These young Americans were able to help others and, at the same time, gain a great deal themselves.”
Community-service builds strong, positive character in young people, which is the goal of AmericaÂ’s All Stars. For more information, please visit http://www. forallstars. org (http://www. forallstars. org) or call 888-782-5578.
Youth Service America is a national nonprofit resource center that partners with thousands of organizations committed to strengthening the youth service movement. YSAÂ’s programs, services, and annual National Service Day, the largest service event in the world, help to strengthen the effectiveness, sustainability, and scale of the youth service and service-learning fields on a local, national and global level. YSA continually works to build a powerful network of organizations committed to making service and service-learning the common expectation and common experience of all young people. A strong youth service movement will create healthy communities and foster citizenship, knowledge, and the personal development of young people. For more information, visit: http://www. ysa. org (http://www. ysa. org).
AmericanÂ’s All Stars is dedicated to building and strengthening character in America's youth. This is accomplished by creating various programs and services that serve to challenge millions of young people nationwide. In addition to building and strengthening character, these programs and services help youth better understand the work ethic and the duties and responsibilities of citizenship. For more information, visit: http://www. forallstars. org (http://www. forallstars. org).
About The American Red Cross American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can help the victims of the recent hurricanes and thousands of other disasters across the country each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need. Call 1-800-HELP NOW or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Donations are being accepted at Coinstar machines at select grocery stores across America. To find the nearest Coinstar machine, visit www. findcoinstar. com. Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting http://www. redcross. org (http://www. redcross. org)
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