21 - Colegio NUEVA GRANADA

Colegio NUEVA GRANADA December 2012
a culture of
giving by:
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Charlotte Samper
Special Projects Director
fFrom the moment Colegio Nueva Granada
was founded, it has been a school characterized
by its generosity in many different
ways. In the early years, the Scouts collected
presents for orphanages in December.
Later, the Angel Tree project, where families
found the name and age of an orphan on a
big tree set up at school and they committed
to buying an age appropriate toy plus a
change of clothes for each child in different
orphanages became very popular. The NHS
also organized various activities throughout
the year to collect money for Christmas
presents for children. Its spaghetti dinner,
served at the Union Church, was famous for
many years where these students cooked
and served a delicious Italian meal to all the
CNG families who attended.
Many orphanages and old folks homes
were helped sporadically through bake
sales, out of dress code days, flower sales,
and other activities organized by our students.
Student Council in High School and
Elementary collected books for a library
in Barrio Bella Flor in Ciudad Bolivar, for
several years, a library which has brought
many changes to the Barrio’s families over
the last thirteen years.
Aside from helping those previously mentioned,
CNG has always helped its workers,
our Servicios Generales people. Thanksgiving
and Christmas have been traditionally
times to show in a special way how much
their work is appreciated. Many parents in
Primary and Elementary, also have remembered
them at the end of the year with a little
something as a show of gratitude.
However, eleven years ago, CNG decided to
concentrate all its “giving” efforts on the
Hogar Nueva Granada. This social project,
which serves families in the very needy
barrios next to our school, would help CNG
find a more effective way of helping while
developing a sense of social responsibility
in its students as well as offering the opportunity
for staff members and CNG families
to contribute towards making a difference
in these people’s lives. Parents and alumni
have found ways of volunteering, giving of
their time, to support teachers in the classrooms
or help in the HNG library. Our CNG
students also have had various moments
starting in K4 in which they share academic
and sometimes sports activities. Several of
our High School students train Hogar children
in soccer, offer dance classes, or design
their Senior Independent project around
the Hogar. Teachers have also generously
given of their time to offer professional development
to the Hogar teachers or values
conferences to the children’s parents. CNG
parents offer professional support as doctors,
dentists, psychologists, and lawyers
to the families. The CNG parent community
has always been deeply and actively
involved in helping out. Actually, nothing
can be more gratifying than to “adopt” an
Hogar child and follow his/her progress
over the years since the vast majority of the
students enter the Hogar at two years of
age and are still with us.
We give, yet, we also get back. CNG’s generosity
is equaled in many ways by those
beautiful children who attend the Hogar
and whose payback is the joy reflected in
their eyes when they are involved with
their CNG counterparts. It has also been
important payback to realize that they
have lost the fear of being involved with
people of a different social class. Another
“gift” we receive from them is the noticeable
changes in their vision of life. Children
who live horrific lives on a daily basis find a
glimmer of hope for a better future.
As we honor tradition and look to the future,
let us remember that, as Saint Francis
of Assisi stated, “It is in giving that we receive.”
CNG’s giving culture is changing
lives: our students’ and those of the Hogar
families’. We are building, through this
culture, a better future for Bogotá in that
our CNG students will understand the
importance of teaching the needy how to
fish and our Hogar students will also understand
that the future is in their hands
if they take advantage of what they have
received.
SERVICE
LEARNING
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