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Baldwin Rocket Kids Care Club

“The members of the Club are learning the valuable lesson that it doesn’t matter how well off you are financially, everyone has something they can give. It is part of our jobs as citizens to care for others and share what we have however little that may be.”
Michelle Cowin-Gantz, Facilitator
Baldwin Rocket Kids Care Club
Manassas, VA

In 2006, Michelle Cowin-Gantz, a guidance counselor at the Baldwin Elementary School, formed the Baldwin Rocket Kids Care Club (KCC) as an after-school character club to focus on developing a strong sense of community and empathy through service to others. The Club was designed specifically for third and fourth grade students who are at-risk of “falling through the cracks”. These students are the ones who are not involved in any activities and are quiet, sometimes well-behaved students that are not on our “radar screens, “researchers have referred to these kids as the “vanilla kids” the ones that easily blend.

School Librarian, Jeanette Shonk volunteered to assist with the Baldwin Rocket KCC and brought her literary expertise to help children understand the issues. Each meeting, she brings books to read to the kids relating to the issue of the service project.

This is a busy Club! Each month the Club tackles a new project. The projects completed in the 2006-2007 school year were as follows:

  • October -- The Club organized a walk around the school to benefit a homeless shelter.
  • November -- The Club organized and prepared 24 food baskets for the school’s needy families.
  • December --The Club put up a “Mitten Tree” and encouraged the entire school to collect hats, coats, and mittens for needy kids. The Club also helped with the “Holiday Helping Hands” project sponsored by the PTA which provided Christmas gifts to over 70 needy children.
  • January -- They assisted with the coordination of a clothing drive for city residents in need of clothing. The students sorted clothing and helped staff at the Annual Clothing Swap.
  • February -- The Club and all students from their school made Valentine care packages for the soldiers in Iraq and mailed over 6 cases of goodies to troops. The receiving troop gave the Club the unique honor of flying a flag over their base in honor of the Club and then sent the students the flag for display.
  • March -- The Club hosted a "Pennies for Patients" drive which raised over $2,000 for the Leukemia Foundation.
  • April – They focused their efforts on “Earth Day” and assisted in clean-up activities and attended the annual clean-up day to beautify their school.
  • May -- The Club participated in teacher appreciation and made cards and other gifts for teachers.

The 2007-2008 school year is shaping up to be just as ambitious. In October, the Club was awarded a “Bringing Good Moments" mini-grant for their Kids Care Week 2007 project to benefit the homeless. This project has been the absolute favorite of the Club members, perhaps because several of the members have had personal experiences of staying in one or more homeless shelters with their families.

To learn about homelessness, they read Shelter Folks and watched a video of the Eve Bunting book, Fly Away Home. With the grant the Club was able to make over 50 blankets for the SERVE, Inc. shelter. The kids really enjoyed making something that would be used by other children. They wrote personal messages to the children on their blankets which ranged from “Baldwin Rockets care about you and I do, too” to “God loves you and so do I.” They delivered the blankets and were able to tour the shelter, which added meaning to the books they read and the video they saw. One of the most poignant quotes from a Club member was “I wish I had a blanket like this when my family lived in the shelter.” Another child said, “It makes me feel so good to know that a homeless child will sleep better holding on to the blanket I made for them." The shelter was very appreciative, they told the Club: “These blankets mean so much to the kids in the shelter, they are a symbol that someone cares.”

In addition to making the blankets, the Club involved the entire school of 500 students in a mini-walk to benefit the shelter.

The Club did not slacken their pace during November and December! At Thanksgiving the Club helped deliver Thanksgiving baskets to 12 needy families. At Christmas, they provided presents to 26 families (67 children) through the Holiday Helping Hands program and they collected mittens, gloves and scarves for the “mitten tree”. They helped with the school clothing drive and sorted clothing. They also made 100 scarves for an orphanage in Russia with the left-over fleece material from the blankets. At their Holiday Party they made cards for elderly who receive Meals on Wheels. And they made a float for the Manassas City Christmas Parade based on the six pillars of Character and marched in the parade.

The Club has been well received by students, staff and the community. It has grown to 28 third and fourth graders, ages 8-10 years. The students engage in meaningful projects in the community and it gives them a sense of belonging. “If I didn’t have Rocket Club I wouldn’t have anything. It means so much to me,” says one member. Another says, “When I help others it makes my heart dance and my eyes water!”

Both Michelle and Jeanette have a love for volunteering and foster this among the members. Michele has been touched by the positive impact it has had on the school and how it has inspired the school community. She says, “Being a facilitator has really helped me to teach the children the beauty of helping others and how important it is to reach out to people. I am so grateful to be touching the future by shaping their lives. This Club means the world to me and is my favorite part of the job!”

Upcoming projects will include Valentine’s for Vets and Pennies for Patients. They will also be working on the garden at their school. More creative hands-on projects and more involvement with local agencies are also planned.

“Our Club is awesome, says Michelle, I get just as much from it as I do running it. I believe all students should be required to do community service because of the sense of pride, self-esteem and accomplishment students can achieve through these projects.”


We commend the Baldwin Rocket Kids Care Club for their heartfelt outreach to their community and the difference their kindness and generosity is making in their school and their community.

Kids Care Clubs is pleased to be joined by Quaker in providing special recognition for the Club of the Month. Members of the Baldwin Rocket Kids Care Club will receive a special gift directly from Quaker to share with their families and friends.


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