Frost Minds Matter Hosts a Gratitude Challenge and Food Drive
Gratitude is the gift that keeps on giving. Frost Minds Matter clearly knows this with their efforts to increase gratitude and give back to others in their school community. Frost Minds Matter is a pilot middle school program of the national organization of Our Minds Matter (OMM). This is a student-led club model in which teens are empowered to promote school-wide social connectedness, encourage help-seeking behavior, and develop coping skills via youth-led activities.
Frost Minds Matter initially hosted a Gratitude Challenge. Students were given post-it notes to write down something they were grateful for. The post-its were then pasted onto a wall in the shape of a heart. Frost Minds Matter received over 600 entries for their Gratitude Challenge. In addition, Frost Minds Matter club members wrote letters of gratitude to a local grocery store. The grocery store was so touched by their act of kindness that they gave gift cards to the club...and this led to an even bigger endeavor!
The students in Frost Minds Matter felt so empowered by the positive feelings gained from giving gratitude to others that they decided to use the gift cards towards starting a Food-4-Thought food drive. The entire school participated through their Falcon Focus classes with the winning homeroom earning a pizza party. The out-pouring of items received from the Frost community was so great that students starting storing them in their lockers. In all, they were able to collect 2,049 food items and $700 in gift cards. The school was able to distribute these food items and gift cards to Frost families in need.
Check out this feedback from Frost staff members:
Love this opportunity to give and help those in need. Absolutely fantastic!
Thank you so much for doing this donation drive; it’s making my students think about how to give back to the community and being thoughtful.
Thank you for spreading the word and helping with the donation drive! So many families will have food to get them through the winter break because of this.
Way to go Frost Minds Matter! So proud of Frost sharing gratitude and giving back to others. It is amazing to see how a community can come together. Gratitude is not only a gift that helps others, but it makes the giver feel connected to something greater than themselves. Frost is an example for all of us to follow. Now go ahead and give it a try...
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The Healthy Minds Blog shares information related to youth mental health and wellness for an audience of parent, educators and community-based providers. Articles include tips and strategies for increasing wellness and resiliency, as well as fostering success at home, at school and in the community.
The Healthy Minds Blog is a collaborative project between Fairfax County Public Schools and the Prevention Unit of the Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services. It is part of the Healthy Minds Fairfax (see below) initiative, designed to support emotional wellness in youth and families.
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