“Imagine, you’re in a peaceful state -singing to the elderly, talking to them, laughing with them, and having fun. This is what it is like at Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Our Lady of Perpetual help is a great place where the elderly come to rest. Visiting OLPH was an amazing experience. I really enjoyed going there and singing to the elderly. When you sang and watched their faces they just lit up with joy. They would tell us stories about their life. They loved having someone to listen to them. They loved it when we asked them questions too, but they did not like it when we had to leave. In conclusion, I loved going to help the elderly, and they loved having me.” – OLA Middle School Student
On Wednesday, September 20, 2023, OLA will hold its 13th annual Day of Service.
Begun in 2011 to celebrate being named a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, the day honors the fourth vow of service taken by the Sister of Mercy nuns who staffed the school from its inception. Following Mass, students in all grades participate in projects, both on and off campus, serving over twenty-three organizations. Thank you to the small army of volunteers, students, faculty, and staff who make this day possible each year!
Past Project highlights:
- Made 565 meals for the elderly and housebound (Senior Connections) in the Chamblee area.
- Made 120 fleece scarves and assembled 300 toiletries kits for the homeless (Mercy Care Homeless)
- Put together 400 snack bags for family members of childhood cancer patients. (Cure Childhood Cancer Now)
- Packed 10,000 meals for school aged children in Africa. (Stop Hunger Now)
- Made ninety Christmas ornaments for US soldiers spending Christmas serving their country abroad (USA Armed Forces)
- Made thirty-six bracelets and sixty-six tote bags for expectant mothers (Pregnancy Center of Decatur)
- Made forty-six Thanksgiving decorations for hospital patients (St. Joseph’s Hospital)
- Made forty-six prayer cards for jail inmates going through Cursillo retreats (KAIROS)
- Made fifty study note card sets for recently arrived immigrants learning English and 54 study note card sets for immigrants studying for their citizenship test (Catholic Charities Immigration Services)
- Planted thirty-six variegated liriope plants, sixty tulip bulbs, six coreopsis plants, twelve mum plants, 12 snapdragon plants, and thirty-six pansy plants around the OLA campus
- Lowered soil in planting beds/ prepared soil in planting beds, removed shrubs, made pine islands and spread pine straw, trimmed shrubs in the front of the school. Furthermore, students planted on the Hearst Drive side of the school:
- seven holly plants
- twelve hydrangea bushes
- fourteen nandina plants
- three gardenia plants
- Twelve middle school students worked at the Atlanta Community Food Bank Gardens
- Twelve middle school students cared for children at the Elaine Clark Center
- Twelve middle school students cleaned up and did repair work at Keswick Park
- Twelve middle school students prepared and packaged meals at Senior Connections that were later distributed to seniors
- Twelve middle school students sorted items at the donation warehouse of St. Vincent de Paul
Students from all grades have participated in the Math-A-Thon to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and each grade working on campus had at least one informational session during the Day of Service. The following organizations had representatives on campus speaking to our children:
- Mercy Care held age appropriate presentations on the homeless and how we can help
- The Cure Childhood Cancer Now representative explained the importance of caring for the families of the children suffering from cancer and how we can all contribute to find cures.
- The Atlanta Community Food Bank held its HUNGER 101 Experience program. The speaker made the students aware that hunger is not exclusively a problem of the homeless but that there are hungry families in all our communities.