Grit & Joy – Brentwood Service Day

9 April 2023Dara M, Alexandra ‘25

On a bright Saturday morning, April 1, Brentwood students and staff set off to help our local Cowichan community. Brentwood Service Day – formerly Charity Work Day – is a tradition of giving back to our community by helping out households in need. In return, the homeowners make donations that Brentwood gathers to give to local charities. It is alo a great opportunity for students to experience volunteer work and get to know our neighbours.

With up to 70 different job placements, there is a wide variety of different experiences people get, but they are all tied together by the resilience and hard work shown in the work experiences. Each of the groups included students from all grade groups, making it a wonderful opportunity to make new friends and work alongside them throughout the day. We completed projects such as gardening, landscaping, and wood logging, weeding, planting and trail building.

I was given the opportunity to visit and work at Keating Farm, a 27-acre farm in the Cowichan Valley. The group, led by Mr Skardal, helped in the orchard restoration the farm was undergoing by digging and placing new topsoil. Youki I, Whittall ‘23, a Grade 12 group leader, expressed, “I think that working at the local farm was a great opportunity to help out and connect with the community.” The students were able to step out of the big Brentwood gates and meet our neighbours. It was energizing getting to know people from different walks of life in the community.

We students got to learn about the community around us, and the community learns about us. The homeowners were delighted to see the energy and diligence brought by our students and we received glowing responses from households about our hard working crew. Rebecca, owner of Keating Farm commented, “We have been a part of Brentwood’s Service Day for several years. Our family just loves seeing the wonderful students and we have been really impressed at their hardworking attitudes.” Many hands make light work: our fit and keen students were able to get a lot of work done for our hosts, which, in turn, benefits the community as a whole.

Along with a rewarding experience for our students, raising money for charity was the main goal of Brentwood Service Day. The charities Brentwood will be giving the collected donations towards are the CMS Foodbank, Hiiye’yu Lelum Society, Kidsport Cowichan, Rotary Club, and the Malahat Nation. We were able to raise $13,000 to go toward these benevolent organizations.

Ms Murray, the organizer of Service Day, remarked, “The student body should really be proud. They were such great ambassadors to the school. It allowed the community to learn about our amazing Brentwood students.”

Brentwood Service Day was a big success. Between raising money for meaningful charities and lending a helping hand to those in need, it gave students the opportunity to experience something they may have never done before, such as working on a farm. The experience of contributing to the community around us makes one feel fulfilled and grateful. Mr Skardal, group leader, concluded, “The kids worked hard today: smiles were shared, tears fell, muscles were used, and money was raised. I would say it was a successful day.”

Dara M, Alexandra ‘25

Where Students Choose To Be