Eagles Serving Jacksonville Service Camp Helps 10 Non-Profits

Associate Director of College Counseling Andrea Rizzi and faculty member and coach Pete Washburn and thirteen ESJ students served those in need in the Jacksonville community last week as part of the Eagles Serving Jacksonville service camp.

The group volunteered at ten different non-profit organizations throughout Jacksonville including: Church Without Walls, Sanctuary on 8th Street, the North Florida School for Special Education, St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Springfield, Feeding Northeast Florida, Habijax ReStore, White Harvest Farms, Clara White Mission, Trinity Rescue Mission, and the Sulzbacher Center for Women and Families.

\"Mr. Washburn and I are very proud of our students and the work they did last week; some days were harder than others. They never complained, got their hands dirty and finished every project asked of them by each of the non-profits. In addition, they learned new skills and how to work as a team,\" commented Ms. Rizzi, who planned and organized the backyard service camp.

The week was comprised of many tasks including framing a deck, demolishing a kitchen, preparing food and serving the homeless, rescuing food, clearing brush and weeding, painting, cleaning out and organizing a workshop, and more.

Heather Welch, a teaching assistant at the North Florida School for Special Education who also oversaw the renovations being made to a newly acquired building for transitional housing for NFSFSE students commented, \"Your students were fabulous. I would take a group of ESJ students to work with any day. They are hardworking, self-starters.\"

\"Eagles Serving Jacksonville allowed me to not only serve, but to take a step back and look at life through a different perspective. By working with many unique organizations, they each revealed how blessed I am in every aspect of my life. This week I discovered that service equally helps others as much as it helps yourself grow in many ways," said Abby Beaver \'21.