By ACSET Community Action Agency

Each year, ACSET Community Action holds it Walk for Warmth to raise funds for emergency heating assistance for low-income families in Kent County. And each year, students at Sibley Elementary participate in activities to support the walk and help their neighbors in need.

For more than 10 years, second graders engaged in the social studies unit Learning About Communities, have worked together to make positive changes in their community. The students, known as the “Sibley Warmth Force,” write letters to local businesses to ask for donations for the annual Walk for Warmth.

“Our studies focus on citizenship and building community,” explained Bernice Wisnieski, a second grade teacher at Sibley. “This service project is an awesome way to bring the lesson to life.”

This year the second grade students wanted a way to get the entire school involved. They worked with the principal and scheduled the first Sibley Walk-a-thon for Warmth. Along with the Walk for Warmth on February 11th, all students at Sibley Elementary took turns walking on March 14, holding signs with the names of businesses that helped support the cause. Many of the older students remembered this project from past years and were excited to participate again.

In addition to the walk-a-thon, the students made and sold fleece blankets and brought in pennies for a total of almost $2,000 in donations. ACSET Community Action is grateful to the students for their hard work and warm hearts; to the businesses for their generous donations; and to the Sibley teachers for creating a community that cares for those less fortunate.

Your Community in Action! is provided by ASCET Community Action Agency. To learn more about how they help meet emergency needs and assist with areas of self-sufficiency, visit www.communityactionkent.org