Questar III Students from Columbia-Greene help at Salvation Army soup kitchen 1st row: Alan Cook (Hudson) 2nd row: Katelynn Ramirez (Catskill); Brianne Cidras (Germantown); Heather Dorval (Ichabod Crane); Elizabeth Hamm (Taconic Hills); Tasia Campbell (Chatham); Jared Camacho (Catskill); JoAdele Foster, Questar III advisor; Courtney LaRue (Ichabod Crane); Franscico Cruz (Catskill); Darryl Steven (Hudson); and Valkyrie Osborne (Catskill)
Students from Questar III’s Columbia-Greene Educational Center in Hudson reached out to the community as part of a service learning project designed to teach them about civic responsibility.
Students from the Friends of Rachel leadership club partnered with Culinary Arts and Introduction to Food Service students to prepare, deliver and serve lunch for the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen.
This was the first year the Friends of Rachel club assisted the Salvation Army, located at 40 South Third Street in Hudson. However, students from the school’s Culinary Arts and Introduction to Food Service programs have volunteered in their soup kitchen for the past eight years.
Richard Senior, the interim director of the Salvation Army Center, thanked students for their generosity and said he hoped they would encourage others to support the less fortunate. “We need a lot of help from young people with a passion to help others. Even if they come only a day now and then, their service will make a difference,” he said.
The Salvation Army Soup Kitchen in Hudson feeds approximately 50 people each day for lunch and provides 200 families with assistance each week. It also distributes food items, household supplies and other items once a month.
Questar III students with Salvation Army Crew
The Friends of Rachel club at Columbia-Greene Educational Center is part of the Rachel’s Challenge program that teaches kindness, empathy and compassion for other students. It is named for Rachel Scott, the first person killed in the shootings at Columbine High School in 1999.
Started three years ago, the club provides career and technical education (CTE) students from Columbia and Greene counties with leadership and service opportunities. In addition to working with the Salvation Army, the group also raised funds for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Shriners’ Hospital, organized a holiday toy drive to benefit the annual Edith Casey Stocking Fund, and participated in the International Stand Up to Bullying Day to promote tolerance.
Lynn Arnold, Questar III’s service learning coordinator, said these experiences allow students to use what they learn in the classroom to solve real-life problems.
“Students not only learn about democracy and citizenship, but they also become actively contributing citizens and community members through the service they perform in areas such as education, public safety, the environment, and helping at a community resource like the Salvation Army,” said Arnold.
Criminal Justice student Jared Camacho, who is a member of the Friends of Rachel club, sees the power of volunteerism. “To me, that means reaching out and caring about others,” he said.
