Fifty students ages five to 11 met once a week after school this past year at Eastgate Elementary to do a variety of human service projects intended to generate joy both within themselves and within the lives of others in our community.

Their club, known as ‘ECHO’ stood for Eastgate students helping others, and was launched and run by kindergarten teacher, Kelye Kneeland.

The students were enthusiastic about giving of their time each week to generate ideas and initiate projects intended to fill needs within the community. On June 25, Kneeland and a small contingent of club members (Taylor and Ryan Kelley and Grace Kneeland) visited the Make-a-Wish Foundation to present a check for over $500 that the students raised for the organization from the proceeds of a book drive and book sale which took place at recess and after school. The money will help grant wishes to children with life threatening illnesses.

The students in the club also collected over 2,300 pounds of food for the foodbank at Hopelink, and learned about services that are offered there. They made decorations to beautify their school atrium and cleaned up their school grounds.

The students also hosted Kevin Vu from Interlake High School to teach them more about the benefits of service. Kevin is a 15-year-old who works with the non-profit organization Generation Joy and its arm “Pencils fight Poverty.” The students collected pencils to send to South Africa to benefit children in schools there.