Community Service
The world is a large place and is certainly much larger than any one individual. Assisting others and being an active and positive member within the communities where we live leads to strong societies, a common identity, and a shared purpose and existence. For these reasons, our program strives to provide its students with myriad opportunities to not only serve the school but also the surrounding area. It is our goal every year to average no less than 12 community service hours per cadet, and we will seek ways in which to push that number ever higher.
Our unit will promote/sponsor many service events throughout the year for its cadets; however, we also want to recognize the service being provided away from our program. For this reason, we post above a form that students can take with them to service events that are not affiliated with Wheeler/Walton JROTC. We simply ask that students performing these service events print the form, take it with them to their non-JROTC sponsored service event, and have the service director fill out the bottom portion of the attached memo. The cadet may then return the form to the classroom by placing it into the Events Log-In binder no later than one week from the date(s) the service was performed. Cadets may not turn in service hours later than one week from the date of service, and neither cadets nor parents/guardians may be the one to fill out and sign the form.
Empty Stocking Fund:
Every year more than 2,500 cadets representing 40 metro Atlanta high school ROTC programs take to the street to share The Empty Stocking Fund’s story and collect donations on our behalf. This long-standing tradition that dates back to the 1940s was established based on the community spirit of young people helping young people. Over a two-day period, thousands of volunteers, most of whom are JROTC cadets from metro-Atlanta high schools, collect donations throughout their communities. Representing the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, the cadets raise nearly $100,000 for the organization – enough to provide gift packages to 5,000 children.
Through its Family2Family project, WSB-TV supports the cadets’ efforts by increasing awareness of the program. As one of the project’s sponsors, Kroger allows the cadets to fundraise onsite at more than 50 metro area stores.
Wreaths Across America:
While we have Veterans Day in the fall and Memorial Day in the spring, our servicemen and women sacrifice their time and safety every single day of the year, to preserve our freedoms. In many American homes, every day there is an empty seat for one who is serving or one who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and never came home.
That is why the Wreaths Across America mission to Remember, Honor and Teach lasts all year long, far beyond the single day in December when we coordinate wreath-laying ceremonies. All throughout the year, Wreaths Across America works in a number of ways to show our veterans and their families that we will not forget—we will never forget. We Remember and Honor our veterans, and Teach the next generation to do the same.
