A Charitable Wonder

My first sight of Sarah was when I heard her screaming obscenities across the cafeteria where I had a senior study hall.  She was being denied access to the candy machines since she was not a senior or someone who had a study at that time.  To say she seemed unpleasant was an understatement.  I was grateful that I didn’t have her in math that year as she seemed quite challenging.

The next September was the beginning of the "Strategies of Success" program.  I didn’t know Sarah’s name that day in the cafeteria but I did recognize her sitting in front of me that first day of school.  I believe that every student deserves a chance to start class with a clean slate despite what might be known about them prior to that class. So I waited to get to know Sarah.

The year began and Sarah was one of the most polite young ladies in the class.  She was never rude and contributed to the activities as they happened.  But she truly began to shine when we took on our Thanksgiving project.  Our goal that year was to raise the money to feed twenty families complete Thanksgiving dinners.  She was the driving force behind the success of that project.  She was there for every aspect of it including the grocery shopping, the basket assembly and the delivery. 

And that wasn’t all.  She took the second "Strategies" class the next year and led the class’ charitable project for the year.  It was a seminar for the community which they named “Priceless Strategies”.  She was the emcee for the event and was voted most outstanding "Strategies II" student by her fellow classmates. 

There’s still more about Sarah.  Although she was no longer in "Strategies I" class, she continued to help those classes with their holiday fundraising.  She is a remarkable young lady who credits the "Strategies" program with changing her life.