Community Service
At East Woods, our community service program encourages students to engage globally, nationally, and locally through various hands-on projects. These include visiting senior citizens at a local assisted living facility, participating in the Fall and Spring Coastal Clean-Ups in Oyster Bay, helping at the Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery Fall Festival, and supporting drives for shoes, clothing, toys, toiletries, and food. Students also volunteer at the Project Hope Soup Kitchen, participate in charity runs or walks, and sing at a local Senior Center. These activities not only benefit the community but also foster a sense of belonging and community among our students.
Students are encouraged to pursue projects aligned with their interests and passions, and they may take the initiative to support meaningful causes. Community service at East Woods is a vital complement to the school’s academic program, providing students with a meaningful balance in their lives.
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Of what we have, we pledge to give.
How East Woods Helps Our Community
This unique program benefits African Solutions to African Problems (ASAP), an organization dedicated to helping children in need in South Africa. Students sign up for lunch on Fridays, and all proceeds are given to ASAP. This program is open to all EWS students staying for any after-school enrichment on Friday afternoons.
In the fall, East Woods holds its annual Thanksgiving Food Drive to benefit the Youth and Family Counseling Agency of Oyster Bay-East Norwich. Donations of non-perishable items such as stuffing, gravy, canned vegetables, dried mashed potatoes, rice, beans, applesauce, cranberry sauce, soup, cereal, and baking goods are needed. The generosity of our community helps ensure that our neighbors in Oyster Bay.
East Woods supports the Baby Blessings initiative, a collective effort by the Helping Hands Rescue Mission that assists over 160 families with children under age 3. The monthly event, made possible by donations of diapers, wipes, baby clothes, car seats, strollers, swings, pack 'n plays, and toys, is a testament to our community's compassion. Contributions are vital to this meaningful support for local families in need.
EWS students, families, and faculty members participate in the International Coastal Cleanup, which cleans up local beaches, including Stehli Beach and Beekman Beach. These beach cleanups contribute to the health of our local communities and waters and provide an excellent opportunity for East Woods to make a difference!
The Walk to Defeat ALS supports those fighting and caring for someone living with ALS. Every year, EWS students, families, and faculty members come together to raise funds to help support care service programs, enable cutting-edge research, and advance nationwide advocacy efforts for people with ALS and their families.
The Whit Whit Walk is a family-friendly walkathon in honor of Whitney Marie Posillico and the Posillico family. Students, families, and faculty members of EWS walk to support pediatric cancer research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSK).
Buddy Class Service Learning
Service Learning has been an integral part of our Community Service. Students participate in curriculum-based activities that allow them to serve others while reinforcing academic skills. The goal is for students to experience the joy and fulfillment of helping others. Past activities have included creating artwork for a nonprofit clinic, writing letters to seniors, veterans, and disaster victims, and harvesting seeds at a local preserve.
Aligned with the Community Service program's approach, Lower and Upper School grades are paired as Buddy Classes. This unique setup fosters a sense of community and teamwork as students collaborate on various service activities. Previous projects have included writing letters to soldiers, organizing drives for food, clothing, and toys, decorating onesies for a women's shelter, and making chew toys for dogs from old T-shirts, or scarves from fleece for local, national, and international organizations.