Kids observe Veterans Day through public service
By LOIS KINDLE
Adults weren’t the only ones honoring veterans Nov. 11. Twenty-one children in grades 3-5 from the Kids ‘R’ Kids Southshore after-school program volunteered to pull weeds from shell walkways and common areas at My Warriors Place in Ruskin.
“This is the second time we’ve gone to My Warrior’s Place,” said Carrie Elwell, the preschool’s owner. “We have a heart for what we feel is an underserved and valued population that My Warrior’s Place serves. It’s important for our kids to observe Veterans Day and give something back.”
Community service has become part of the culture at the school.
On July 4, for example, students sent 100 handwritten letters to deployed members of the military. Over the past nine years, its preschool kids have raised more than $16,000 for St. Jude Children’s Hospital through their annual Trike-a-thon. And they recently raised $234 for Miles for Moffit, which Kids R Kids Southshore matched.