Our Mission…
To provide a variety of outreach and humanitarian experiences to Dewing
students and families, and to raise awareness about ways to serve others in the
Merrimack Valley and beyond. To teach
the importance of Dewing Good!
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Dew-Gooders
Email Distribution List
Occasionally, there are last minute volunteer opportunities on Dew-Gooder
Projects, or there is a community event (with a charitable or service-oriented
focus) that we’d like to publicize. If you would like to be notified of such
instances, please send an email to Beth McFadyen at
bmcfadyen@comcast.net to be added to our email distribution list.
2009 - 2010 Projects
Antons Coats for Kids Project
~ October 13th thru January 8th
Coordinator Lisa Gill,
lbgill@verizon.net
Now in its 15th year, the Anton’s Coats for Kids Project provides local non-profit organizations with gently used and freshly cleaned winter warmth coats which are then distributed to families in need throughout the Merrimack Valley. The Dewing School has participated in this program for many years, and was honored in 2009 to be the 2nd highest collection site among 300 schools in the elementary school division. Anton’s awarded the Dewing with a performance by Johnny the K and a $500 cash prize.
This Fall and Winter, the Dew-Gooders will gladly accept your winter warmth (no spring/rain) coats beginning on Tuesday, October 13th and thru Friday, January 8th. In order to maintain the dignity of the recipients of these coats, we ask that your donations be free from permanent stains, rips, missing buttons, or broken zippers. A large collection box will be available in the Dewing lobby for your convenience.
One of our goals is to actively involve Dewing students in the giving process, so we are seeking families who would be willing to deliver the coats to the Anton’s store at Stadium Plaza. This would be a one time commitment, and we kindly request that parents wait until after school hours so that their child(ren) can participate and have a Dew-Gooder experience. Instructions will be provided. If you wish to volunteer, please contact our project coordinator, Lisa Gill.
Soldier's Care Package Project ~ October
21st
Coordinator Dianne Whelton,
dgwhelton@comcast.net
This Dewing Good After School project is open to students in grades 3-4 and will run from 3:00-4:30pm on Wednesday, October 21st. To support local troops overseas, students will collect donations, write letters, and assemble care packages which will be shipped in time for delivery on Veteran’s Day. If you would like to contribute items to include in the care packages, please review our list of acceptable donations, keeping in mind that there are restrictions based on the cultural and religious practices of the countries to which the packages will be sent.
Donations will be collected in the 3rd and 4th grade classrooms, beginning on October 1st, and an additional collection box will be available in the lobby for the convenience of all Dewing families and visitors. If you would like to volunteer to be a parent-helper during the project on October 21st, please contact Dianne Whelton.
The Giving Tree ~ November 9th –
December 1st
Coordinators Stephanie Burke
mikestephsasha@msn.com and Lorraine Trull
3rts@comcast.net
For a remarkable 21 years, the Loella Dewing School has extended kindness to local children at Christmastime through The Giving Tree program. In partnership with the Department of Children and Families in Lowell, Dewing families purchase a new gift for a school age boy or girl during Thanksgiving week. Those gifts are then collected and delivered to the DCF office where they are available for social workers to provide to the families they serve.
In order to participate, a signed permission slip must be returned to the Dew-Gooders through the PAC mailbox. Participating students will be escorted from their classrooms (for no more than 5 -10 minutes) to select the gender and age of the child for whom they wish to purchase a gift. They will return home that day with full instructions, including gift ideas and deadlines for returning the gift. Donated gifts may be in the $5 to $20 range.
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The Project Coordinators, Stephanie and Lorraine, will need assistance preparing the handouts (first two weeks of November), escorting students (Friday, 11/20), and sorting gifts (Thursday, 12/3). Please contact them at the email addresses noted above, if you can offer your services.
Be My Valentine ~ February 3rd-4th
Coordinators Debbie O’Neil
doneil41@comcast.net and Denise Welch
dwmw898@comcast.net
This one hour Dewing Good After School Project provides students in grades K-4 with the opportunity to create Valentine greetings to facility-bound and/or home-bound Tewksbury residents. Using craft supplies provided by the Dew-Gooders, students will write, draw, stamp, or color several cards which will then be delivered locally, with love from the Dewing School. Last year’s Valentines were shared with residents of the Tewksbury State Hospital. Families will have their choice of a Wednesday or Thursday program and students at all grade levels can register for either day, making it ideal for multi-student families. If you have Valentine-themed craft supplies (stickers, old greeting cards, foam shapes) that you would like to donate, or if you are available to assist with the project as a parent volunteer, please contact Debbie or Denise.
Book Buddy Project ~ May 26th-27th
Coordinator Kim Welch,
kbmwelch@comcast.net
This Dewing Good After School Project provides our students in grades K-5 with the opportunity to share a book with a student attending a neighboring school in Lowell. We ask that each participating student bring a gently used book from home which they will inscribe with a bookplate and prepare for delivery to a sister school. Depending upon the age of the Dewing student, s/he may additionally color an emergent reader book or create sight word flashcards. Last year, 77 Dewing students shared their books with friends at The Morey School in Lowell, and each was acknowledged with a hand-written thank you note from a Morey student. It was a lovely full circle giving experience and a wonderful example of Dewing Good. If you wish to donate additional books to this project, you are more than welcome to bring them to school on June 9th or 10th. And, if you would like to be a parent volunteer for this after school project, please contact Kim Welch.
Volunteer Night at The Wish Project of Lowell on Tuesday, January 26th
Loella's Friends ~ Dew-Gooders for Grown-ups!
Coordinator Beth McFadyen,
bmcfadyen@comcast.net
In response to many inquiries from Dewing parents asking how
they can become more involved in local community service, we have scheduled a
volunteer night at The Wish Project of Lowell. Since January 2006, The Wish
Project has been collecting and distributing household goods to individuals and
agencies throughout the Merrimack Valley. They are proud to give more than
1,000,000 in free goods to 25,000 people each year.
The Dew-Gooders' Parent Group (called Loella's Friends) will volunteer at The
Wish Project's warehouse in Lowell on Tuesday evening, January 26th, from 6-8pm.
After a brief orientation and a tour of the site, we will be tasked with
inspecting and sorting donations or completing administrative work. Please note
that this event is for adults only, as they will be structuring our assignments
accordingly. If you are not able to arrange childcare or if your childcare plans
fall through at the last minute, please wait until the next service project to
participate.
Volunteers should sign-up in advance by contacting Beth at bmcfadyen@comcast.net.
We will carpool to Wish from the Dewing parking lot at 5:40pm, so please plan to
arrive between 5:30-5:35 or meet us at 6pm at the warehouse, located at 1A
Foundry Street, Lowell, MA, 01852. Volunteers may also wish to use this visit to
bring donations of (seasonal) gently used clothing or household goods. For a
complete listing of acceptable donations, please visit the
Lowell Wish Project web site.
Used, But Usable
As a service to our Dewing families, we’ve provided a comprehensive list of
local organizations that are willing to accept your gently used donations. This
is a wonderful reference list for any time of year when you find yourself with
clothing, furniture, toys, or a myriad of other items for which you’d like to
find a new home. Print one out for yourself, and share one with a friend. This
two page (or double-sided)
Used, But Usable
Guide provides categories of items and the local
organizations that will accept them on one side and contact information
(including websites) on the reverse. Help someone in need, and decrease
the number of items that are added to our waste stream each year. Be a Double
Dew-Gooder today!