by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
It took lots of work, planning and generosity, but the team spirit of the students and staff at Sartell Middle School managed to complete their good deed, collecting 2,147 items of food and supplies for a hospice house.
What they collected included virtually every kind of non-perishable food – such as peanut butter, oatmeal, hundreds of canned goods – and supplies, such as laundry detergent and paper products. The items were collected via the schools’ homerooms, with lots of friendly, lively competitive spirit boosting the efforts.
The items were delivered to the grateful staff of Quiet Oaks Hospice House and Respite Care Center in St. Cloud. The facility has space for eight terminally-ill patients and rooms where their loved ones can visit or stay.
Gary Rosin, sixth-grade teacher at SMS, came up with the idea and coordinated the project. It was inspired by his wife, Denise, who is a Quiet Oaks Board member.
“My wife serves on the board, and I have seen through her and the board, staff and volunteers at Quiet Oaks how passionate they are,” Rosin said.
He became aware only 55 percent of the cost of the patients’ care is paid by the patient or the patient’s family, with the rest being covered by donations. In addition to that, ongoing fundraising efforts raise money so patients’ family members can stay at Quiet Oaks when they visit rather than having to rent motel rooms. Family members can also eat at Quiet Oaks with no additional costs to the family.
“My wife and I,” Rosin said, “volunteered one Friday evening and we fed 50 family members. They have capacity for eight patients so if they are full, there are a lot of family and friends visiting. They want their families to be able to spend as much time together as possible without having to leave the facility.”
Since it opened in October 2008, Quiet Oaks has served more than 460 individuals and their families.
“On behalf of the residents and families served, we are so thankful,” said Linda Allen, Quiet Oaks director of operations. “It is reassuring to know there are youth today who care about their community and have passion and a desire to serve others. Students and faculty of Sartell Middle School should be proud of the impact they have made. We are proud of them and hope their effort inspires others to give.”
Rosin was confident of the collection effort from the get-go.
“At Sartell Middle School, we thought we could help,” he said. “Knowing our students, we knew they would get very excited about it and would put a huge dent in the food budget at Quiet Oaks. The teachers, parents and students did an amazing job meeting and exceeding our expectations, and we are so very grateful.”
Sartell Middle School students load a van with items – mainly food items – they, their classmates and school staff collected for the Quiet Oaks Hospice in St. Cloud. From left to right are Kenzie Clark, Jacob Bjelland, Grant Winter, Ryleigh Higel, Rainna Stangle, Amber Teer, Mathieu Jobin, Ethan Dauw, Logan Filsmyer and Jalen Winburn.
