Jonathan’s Place, a Garland-based temporary homeless shelter for children and girls’ treatment center, received special gifts March 25th from a group of students from The Winston School in Dallas. Students in the Middle School Student Government and members of the Upper School Leadership Team joined forces to load and install landscaping mulch throughout areas of the landscape on the campus of Jonathan’s Place. Students donned their gloves, grabbed a shovel or rake, and helped to beautify the shelter grounds.

Following the yard work, the Winston Middle School students set up decorations they had raised money to purchase, and set out sandwiches, cookies, chips, stuffed animals and balloons for a surprise lunch they had prepared for the younger children remaining at the center during the day. Together, the Winston Middle and Upper School students and the small children enjoyed a fun lunch, talking and laughing while they shared a meal. An additional table was prepared and filled with after school snacks and treats for the older children to enjoy when they returned from school in the afternoon.

This event provided an opportunity for the Middle and Upper School students to join forces in such a physical and enlightening way to positively impact such a rewarding organization in the community. Students had worked for months to hold fundraisers to pay for mulch, food, decorations and toys for the children at Jonathan’s Place. The experience gave them a greater understanding of the challenges children and families in crisis face day to day. Children helped children, and they all benefited from the experience.