Throughout the school year, many classes and clubs put on service projects in order to connect with the community. In the first semester, each Bible class took the school day to go somewhere in the city and help paint, pick up trash and wash windows. In addition to Christ-motivated activities, the California Junior Scholarship Federation (CJSF) chose to continue to serve the community with multiple projects this semester.

The CJSF students and advisor Hallie Rojeski took the day to deliver two boxes of books to the school library, April 30. The kids, from ages first to sixth grade, then read with the FC students.

?This year I have found that helping out in the community is self-rewarding,? Taylor Oren, ’13, said. ?It was awesome to see that all of our hard work paid off. The best part about this project was that we actually got to read with the kids and watch them pick books. We saw the impact we had on the school first-hand.?

In February, CJSF organized their annual candy gram fundraiser. The students put together bags of candy with Valentine’s day notes and delivered them to each grade. Each bag sold for one dollar, raising a total of $300.

All profit went toward the purchase of books for the Pinedale Elementary School in Fresno. Another $300 was taken out of the student store, also known as Stuff Mart, account in order to help pay for the books.

?When the whole school did service projects in the first semester Mrs. [Ellen] King suggested doing something at Pinedale,? Hallie Rojeski, CJSF advisor, said. ?At that time we were already collecting coats for Rowell Elementary School and we didn’t have enough to provide for both schools. So this time we chose to do books for Pinedale.”

CJSF has been providing books for a variety of schools and organizations throughout the year, such as the Valley Christian Center.

?The students were the key to the whole project,? Rojeski said. ?They worked at Stuff Mart and made the candy grams. They got to pick out the books, deliver them and spend time with the kids as well. They also got to see how appreciative the children were. It wasn’t just adults sending money, the students did all of the work.?

According to Rojeski, the project offered an opportunity for students to see their work and donations appreciated.

?It’s fun to go off campus with your friends and do something good for the community,? Caleb Pletz, ’13, said. ?I got to meet a lot of really cool kids and it feels good to give back and help schools that aren’t as privileged as we are here.?