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Students show us what the season is all about!
Cleveland County Rescue Mission staff receive donation from Shelby Middle School students.

A seemingly normal day at the Cleveland County Rescue Mission (CCRM) proved to be anything but this week when eleven young teenagers and six of their closest adult friends rained bountiful blessings on the non-profit organization's men's facility on Buffalo Street.
What began last year as a way to help students at Shelby Middle School with the school's annual Christmas food drive and the local homeless has turned into an enterprise of sorts for a close knit group of students and their teachers.
For months, the class of seventh and eighth graders, led by second year teacher Kelsey Triplett has been working hard on a special project to benefit the Blue Devils Food Drive and homeless and hungry people in Cleveland County. The students along with the dedicated help of their teachers Marie Hale, Deanna Alden, Elisabeth Beeson, and Sherwin Brown work year-round on handmade greeting cards for every occasion that they sell to fund these projects.
"We focus on instructing students in social and academic skills so they can be successful adults. By crafting and selling greeting cards, Christmas ornaments, and gift tags students are able to channel their creativity, work together, and learn social responsibility by giving back to those in need in our school and community." Ms. Triplett explains of her classroom.
When Ms. Triplett reached out, the Rescue Mission was thrilled to hear how she's working to teach students some of the same life skills taught to residents of CCRM; connecting behavior, emotions, and consequences through everyday situations.
"I was invited to meet the students in their classroom early last week, and we had a great discussion about what goes on at the Rescue Mission and how important it is for us all to get involved and give back in some way to the community in which we live," said Jocelyn Hill, Director of Community Development at CCRM.
This past Wednesday, the bus rolled into the parking lot and the entire class of students, teachers, Shelby High School student assistants, and chaperones spilled out into the cold morning. They quickly got to work unloading, sorting, and putting away a shipment of food in CCRM's pantry. Then an assembly line was set up and everyone got to work building sandwiches and making soup.
The students wanted to do more than just bring over the money they had raised. They really wanted to get involved. They served lunch and then joined the residents and guests at the tables.
"Interacting with new friends, flexibility with others, and respecting personal space are things we discuss at length in the classroom," says Ms. Triplett. The time spent at CCRM allowed students to put these skills into practice.
Rescue Mission guests were very receptive and patient, engaging the students in dialogue during their noon mealtime. "Having the students here reminded me of gathering with family at Christmastime. It was really special," remarked one resident of CCRM's men's division.
After the students cleaned up, they were able to take a tour of the facility and present the Executive Director, Michael Gullatte and Board Chair, Jess Powell with a check for $331.05, which will be used to make Christmas extra special for the men, women, and children who reside at the facilities this season.
The project wasn't only a blessing to the Rescue Mission, but the students got a first-hand experience of how doing for others can make them feel good in return.
We asked some of the students to tell us their favorite part of last week's field trip to the Cleveland County Rescue Mission:
"...helping others and giving out candy. It made me feel really happy to help other people." Emma, 7th grade
"I loved making and serving lunch because I like to help others." Mary, 8th grade
"...making sandwiches, because I like learning how to cook." Justine, 8th grade
"I had a really good time feeding the guys because I liked helping them." Dylan, 7th grade
If you would like to learn more about or purchase your own greeting cards for Christmas or any special occasion, call Shelby Middle School at 704-476-8328 or email Ms. Kelsey Triplett at ketriplett@clevelandcountyschools.org. Ms. Triplett was the recipient of this year's Hoyt Q. Bailey Agape Award recognizing teachers that go the extra mile to meet the needs of their students.
You may also purchase Christmas cards at the Rescue Mission located at 1100 Buffalo Street in Shelby. For additional information about the services provided at CCRM, contact Jocelyn Hill at 704-751-1255 or jocelyn@myccrm.org. Tax deductible donations to the Cleveland County Rescue MIssion can be made online at www.myccrm.org or by texting "MyCCRM" to 95577.
Submitted by Jocelyn Hill


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