St. Brendan School students dive into citywide day of service
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The children of St. Brendan School in Mexico helped make their hometown a better place, as part of a communitywide day of service held in honor of an esteemed hometowner.
St. Brendan kindergartners through fourth graders organized a food drive to benefit the Help Center in Mexico.
Fifth through eighth-graders went out into the community to carry out acts of service.
They helped move mattresses and paint walls at the Audrain County Shelter Resource Coalition, to prepare for the opening of the Room at the Inn cold-weather shelter.
They spread mulch outside the YMCA, helped clean up inside and made cards for veterans. They organized donated items to prepare for distribution at The Help Center, Mexico’s local food bank and donation center.
At the Handi-Shop, which provides employment to adults with disabilities, students helped employees with art projects.
It was all part of the Tyronn Lue Day of Service, held each year in honor of the Mexico native, former NBA basketball player and current head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers.
“He still has a strong hometown connection, and even though he has money and fame, he continuously supports our town of Mexico,” said Melissa Buckman Young, a member of the St. Brendan School Advisory Council.
“Because Coach Lue does so much for our community, he motivates other people to do the same,” she said.
The annual day of service, held this year on Oct. 13, draws participants from schools all over Mexico, including cadettes from the Missouri Military Academy, as well as individuals, local merchants and city and county employees.
“This year, there was everything from trash being picked up, to city employees painting the new fence at a park,” said Mrs. Buckman Young.
“We had individuals and groups and even small businesses do things like going into schools to read to children and anything you can imagine,” she said. “Besides St. Brendan, other school children collected items and went to the Help Center to deliver them.”
Each school and business came up with its own plan for the service day, and the Chamber of Commerce kept track of all of it and created a photo album to present to Coach Lue.
“Mexico is a very community-oriented town,” said Mrs. Buckman Young. “This annual day of service really speaks of Mexico’s spirit.”
She said she hopes all the children who participated in the day of service learned about the importance of giving back to their community.
“Whether you’re a millionaire or you’re living in poverty, you have time, talent and treasure that you can give back to God by helping other people, just like what we’ve been teaching kids in our parish about stewardship,” she said.
Although the Tyronn Lue Day of Service is a nonsectarian event, Mrs. Buckman Young believes St. Brendan School succeeded in making a religious connection for its students.
“I think we mix spirituality with everything we do at St. Brendan’s,” she said. “So while the Day of Service is not just a St. Brendan activity by any stretch of the imagination, it’s certainly part of that stewardship calling.”
Mrs. Buckman Young and her husband have an eighth-grader and a fifth-grader at St. Brendan School.
“I’m a generational Catholic-school kid,” she noted. “My mom went to St. Joseph School in Martinsburg, and so did I. So it was really natural for my husband and I to make the decision for our kids to attend St. Brendan.”
They love the closeness of the students, faculty and families, how hard the teachers and principal work, “and the academic excellence that is always rooted in the Church and teaching kids what’s really important in life,” she said.
Portia Leverett, a member of the St. Brendan School Advisory Council, contributed to this report.
