Stamford Public Education's Mentoring Program Participates In Holiday Community Service

From the Stamford Public Education Foundation: STAMFORD, CT – On Tuesday, December 6th, elementary school students from Newfield and Stark participated in Holiday Community Service Projects, which were the culmination of the Stamford Public Education Foundation’s (SPEF) 10-week Service-Learning Mentoring Program. This program partners local high school and college students with third through fifth grade students in the Stamford Public School system.

On Tuesday morning, Service-Learning students from the Julia A. Stark Elementary School visited
the Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County as their culminating community service project. 45 fifth
grade mentees sorted donations and learned about the impact of the Food Bank of Lower Fairfield
County on the local Stamford community.

Later that morning, there was a ceremony at Newfield Elementary school to present holiday
presents for three low-income families who have been working closely with Neighbors Link
Stamford to overcome difficulties this holiday season. Senator Carlo Leone was on hand to speak
with the students about the importance of community giving, and a representative from Neighbors
Link was there to receive the donations on behalf of the three families. The donations were
generously provided by Toys for Tots, Northern Star Quilter’s Guild, and other anonymous donors.
A portion of the gifts were hand-crafted holiday ornaments that students and mentors created
together during one of the mentoring sessions. This culminating project was brought to the
community through SPEF’s Service-Learning Program and was a collaboration between SPEF, fifth
grade students from Newfield Elementary School, and UConn Stamford mentors.

The curriculum for SPEF’s Service-Learning program was written by Human Development
Professor Dr. Monica Miller-Smith from UConn Stamford. This program engages UConn students

from two of Dr. Miller-Smith’s courses, “The Family School Partnership” and “Low Income
Families”, and partners them with third and fifth grade students. During weekly mentoring
sessions, mentors and mentees discuss topics related to service-learning such as civic engagement,
community service, and leadership.

About SPEF:

The mission of the Stamford Public Education Foundation (SPEF) is to support the
students and teachers in Stamford’s Public Schools through community collaboration and
philanthropy. SPEF focuses its efforts on improving literacy skills in elementary school students
and preparing middle and high school students for post-secondary success in college or career
training. For more information on SPEF visit www.spefct.org or call 203-965-7733.

Image via Stamford Public Education Foundation