Random Acts of Kindness Week Kicks Off Season of Giving Back

The Berkeley community is known for its kindness. To celebrate this, our school launched the first-ever Berkeley Random Acts of Kindness Week (BRAK), the week of November 28, to encourage all Berkeley families to get involved in their community by showing kindness to others. Community members were encouraged to get involved in making the world a better place by seeking out ways to help others. Hundreds of students, and even their family members, have stepped forward to do kind deeds for others and share their experiences. If you are looking for inspiration, we invite you to visit https://www.randomactsofkindness.org for ideas.
 
Berkeley continued the spirit of giving when our community members participated in the eighth annual Holiday Wrap-In on December 5. The faculty, staff and students came together to wrap and donate over 1,500 gifts to benefit local charities in the Tampa Bay area. Lower Division students worked with Middle and Upper Division students to wrap gifts and write personal letters delivering holiday cheer and well-wishes. At the end of the Wrap-In, students took their gifts to the Aye Arboretum, where they were collected and sorted in preparation for transportation to the benefiting charities that include: Redlands Christian Migrant Association, Head Start Programs at Jackson Springs, McCloud and Town & Country Commons, and the Willis Peters Exceptional Center.  
 
In September, all students and their parents were encouraged to sign up for the first Family Service event of the year. It only took 17 hours for all 120 spots to be filled with enthusiastic volunteers. The Friday Family Service Night, which took place after school on Friday, December 2, gathered volunteers from the Berkeley community who spent time working to meet the needs of our school’s neighbors. Volunteers sorted cans at the food pantry on Kelly Road, helped with a service project at Dickenson Elementary, hung Christmas decorations at Inspired Living, and stayed on campus to make blankets or package other supplies for the homeless. Past Family Service events have been staffed by hundreds of volunteers helping thousands of people in need.
 
Mark your calendar for the second Family Service Day on Sunday, February 5, 2017, taking place at Berkeley.  We are excited to host another Hunger Project for Feeding Children Everywhere!