Community Service

A Caring Community

Blair Academy takes pride in the opportunity to partake in community service projects both on and off campus. As former English teacher Michael Schloat once said during an address to the student body on this particular topic, “There is nothing more important in life than helping other people. Talk with Mrs. [Kaye] Evans, advisor to Blair’s community service group, about her passion for community service. Hear her tell you about all the myriad ways you can get involved in helping the greater community outside of Blair. No one here is more sensitive to the needs of those around her than she…There is no limit to the opportunities each of you has to serve the needs of those around you, and there is no amount of help that is too small to make a difference. Just make the leap and see what happens.”

• For many years, community members have taken that leap – literally stepping or peddling their way to aid victims of hunger, poverty, breast cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. They participate in the annual Blairstown CROP Walk, an event that brings together people of all faiths to benefit local fights against hunger, and nearly every year, members of the Blair community partake in races to help fund breast cancer research.

• Blair athletic competitions are always worth watching, but when athletes play for a worthy cause, the action takes on a new meaning. The Blair Academy Coaches vs. Cancer Tournaments have teamed up the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches to win the fight against cancer. Blair basketball and lacrosse players have also sponsored free clinics for local area elementary school children. The wrestling team annually solicits per pin pledges during the National Prep Championship to benefit various charities, from diabetes support groups to local food pantries.
  
  
• The annual Blair Read-A-Thon, sponsored by Timken Library, raises funds to support both Partners in Health, a non-profit organization that provides health care in Haiti, and the Chiapas Project, which benefits the disadvantaged people of Chiapas, Mexico. Students earn a penny per page for all non-assigned reading they accomplish over Spring Break, thanks to a generous donation from an anonymous Blair alumnus.
  
  
• Blair’s Blue and White Key Society and the Main Street Village Association (downtown Blairstown) has held street festivals offering area families a chance to mix and mingle with merchants and members of the Blair community. Along with food, music, contests and kid-friendly activities, the event often included a 5K race, a bed race, fireman’s water polo and an “extreme combo” of wall climbing and bungee jumping, as well as a host of other attractions.
  
  
• The annual blood drive, sponsored by Blair’s health center under the direction of Diane Sauve, is held in Walker Gymnasium. At times the event also includes a health fair, with participating organizations such as Community Prevention Resources of Warren County, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Warren County Department of Health, Domestic Abuse & Rape Crisis Counseling Center, and three area hospitals.
  
  
• At the local elementary school, Blair community service group members assist teachers by putting up bulletin boards, helping with arts and crafts, and reading to the children. Students also make weekly trips to a local nursing home to enrich the lives of its residents. Blair’s community service group also lends a hand at the Manna House Community Kitchen in Newton, N.J, serving lunch to 30-50 people at the First Presbyterian Church. Through the years, this student-led organization has also aided the March of Dimes and Save the Children.
  
  
• The Ladies of Locke [Hall] are often involved in good deeds on campus and elsewhere. As one student said, “I think LOL unifies us as a dorm, and since we are the largest dorm on campus, it is important that we come together as a community. The whole dorm feels it’s very important that we give back to the community. Quite frankly, it amazes me how eager everybody is to get involved. If somebody has an idea, there is always a group who wants to help. We have baked for the school nurses, collected shoes to be sent over to Africa, and sponsored an in-dorm faculty appreciation day. Although our community service ranges from big to small, all the activities are important.”
  
  
• Biology students, under the direction of science teacher Blair Buck, planted trees in downtown Footbridge Park. As Blair explained, “The Blairstown Environmental Commission wrote a grant for a riparian buffer along the banks of the Paulins Kill (a stream) in Footbridge Park in downtown Blairstown. The grant paid for hundreds of water-tolerant trees to serve as a bank stabilizer and pollution buffer. The commission then asked for volunteers from the community to help plant these trees this past May. A group of AP biology students and I went down to the park and planted between 30 and 40 trees.” The Blue and White Key Society and the Blairstown Police Department often work together to spruce up Main Street and other downtown areas.
  
  
• The Multicultural Student Union (MSU) has gone to the Newark YMCA to visit with the children from the homeless shelter at the Y. Advisor Maria Bowditch explained, “We take snacks, various arts and crafts projects, and the toys, books and clothing we have collected from the Blair community. In addition, we’ve gone to the warehouse for the Community Foodbank of New Jersey in Hillside, where we helped sort through non-perishable foods donated from the major supermarkets in the state (including ShopRite and A&P) to be distributed to local food pantries.”
  
  
• Blair faculty members and students frequently travel to various parts of the U.S. and other countries to aid organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and relief efforts in times of natural disaster. For instance, Chaplain Cynthia Crowner, several other faculty members and a group of students participated in a Hurricane Katrina Mission Trip to Gulfport, Miss. “The Katrina Recovery Mission trip benefited me in numerous ways,” said one student. “I’ve seen how important it is for everyone to care so that the world becomes a better place. After the hurricane, Gulfport became a disaster, but with thousands of volunteers from all over the country, the city has improved significantly.
  

• The Blair community’s generosity truly shines during the holidays. A tradition anticipated and enjoyed by many is the annual “adoption” of two or three families during the holiday season. Everything from stocking stuffers and gifts under the tree, to turkey, dressing and dessert, is carefully chosen, purchased and delivered to these local residents.

Check out Blair’s Web site on a regular basis to keep up to date with all of the School’s community service projects. Additionally, the Fall 2006 issue of the Blair Bulletin [click here to download pdf] included a feature article, “Pay It Forward” (page 14) on the many ways the school community bursts through the “Blair Bubble” and interacts with the world beyond.

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