The classrooms and halls at Walla Walla Valley Academy (WWVA) were curiously quiet on Oct. 29, 2004. Nearly 300 students and teachers abandoned classes for the day to continue a wonderful annual tradition—“Project Impact.”
“For me, the day is all about getting out there in the community and touching people’s lives,” says Tom Graham, industrial technology teacher.
At 7:30 in the morning, students started the day with a breakfast cooked and served by John Deming, WWVA principal. Fueled with energy, students and advisors spread out in the community to complete a variety of projects.
Students picked up trash along city streets, did yard work for some elderly and disabled people, cleared brush at area parks, cleaned up a local cemetery, and helped in area elementary schools, while others spent the day playing table games and socializing with the residents at an assisted living facility.
Tom Graham has been taking WWVA students to do fall yard work at the home of an elderly couple for the past four years. The lady of the house shared, “I can’t tell you how much we appreciate it. With my husband being blind and all the yard work to do, it really takes a load off me to have the WWVA students come.”
“I think Project Impact helps the community see that students really do care,” says Megan Harris, sophomore. “It makes the community a friendlier, more open place for everyone.” Once again, students were reminded that to serve Jesus is to serve those around us.
Senior Chibuike Opara enjoys watching a video with Jeffrey Hays in the kindergarten class at Rogers Adventist School.
Julia Hanson, sophomore, and Beth Corley, junior, clean up the streets of College Place during Project Impact.
