Future Leaders Serving Others

My name is Adrianna Tadros, and I am an eighth grader and member of the St. Vincent’s choir. We recently spread some Christmas cheer as we sang at the Meadowview Nursing Home. My experience was indescribable and amazing. All of the residents were welcoming and kind. When we sang, I heard them singing along, which delighted me to know they were enjoying it. During the first break we had, we went and interacted with the residents. All of them were so funny and nice. They told us compliments about the show. As it turned out, I got so much more out of the experience than I ever thought I would!

My name is Jessica Luciano, and I am also an 8th grader that participates in the choir and went to Meadowview Nursing Home. I have some experience singing in public, but never at a nursing home, so I didn’t know what to expect. As I walked in, the residents were facing the performance area, and immediately I could feel the excitement that was in the room. Some Christmas songs were already playing, and some residents were singing along with the music! As I got to the performance space, I saw all of the residents patiently waiting, and my nervousness melted away. I realized that it wouldn’t matter if I was good or bad. What mattered most was whether or not I sang joyfully, because this was for the residents. After we sang, we handed out cards to some of the residents, then we left. I am so glad that I could go that day, because doing that performance made me feel like I did a good deed.

My name is Samantha, and I am in eighth grade. Over the past summer, my grandmother and I have been volunteering at Meadowview Nursing Home. While there, I had coincidentally met my principal and one of my former teachers. When it came time for the St. Vincent de Paul’s choir to perform there, Ms. Pirolli, my principal, asked me to join them. While there, I brought the residents to the lobby to watch the performance and checked in on those who could not make it. Though I did not actually perform with the choir, I did sing and dance to a lot of the songs. My favorite part of the day was at the end. The students from my school had made Christmas cards beforehand, and we distributed them to the residents in the audience. After we finished handing out the cards, my principal asked me to lead a group of kids throughout the hallways where the residents’ rooms were. We were told to offer the people that could not come to the show a Christmas card. At first, a few of the younger kids were shy, but by the time we were finished, the kids looked really pleased with themselves for what they had done. I could tell the residents were very grateful for the kind gesture and were glad to see so many young children walking through the halls. The things we did that day made me feel accomplished and proud, and I am sure it made the other students from my school feel the same way.