Fourth annual Jones Day of Service at St. Francis Xavier Academy in Washington, D.C. is a resounding success
Client(s) JD Washington Office Professional/Public Service
The Fourth Annual Jones Day of Service on July 18, 2009 was hugely successful with all the tasks being completed to perfection. We had our highest turn out ever of lawyers, summer associates (including from New York), and staff, as well as their families. We were joined this year by students from the school which added a personal touch to our work.
Both playgrounds were mulched and cleaned up. The basketball court boasted new basketball court lines, newly painted railings, a fresh coat of paint on the exterior door, and newly planted flowers in pots - not to mention a wonderful 28 foot mural! The swingset side was a flurry of activity with fresh paint applied to the star, fish, flower and sun images on a brick wall , while some real manual labor was exerted in removing some old bulkheading that held the newly replenished woodchips under the swingset; the railing shined and flowers were bright in their planters. And that is just the outside!
Inside, the classrooms were a buzz with activity - assembling IKEA bookshelves, painting a designated piece of furniture (many requiring "some light" sanding), and the classroom doors got a new coat of paint too. The library sports a nice color of blue on its walls and the shelves to the bookcases have all been wiped clean - ready to put back up. New curtains will hang in the windows after the new windows are installed - and the L-shaped bookcase stands ready for placement on the soon-to-be installed new carpet. The boys' restroom wall is now sealed and some nasty double doors outside the library were treated to some serious sanding and scraping, then a coat of primer.
The main doors of the school were opened, being sanded and prepared for some white paint. A new graduate from SFX happened to be walking by, saw the activity and came on in, to see if there was anything she could do to help. We threw a t-shirt over her outfit and put her to work taping windows on the classroom doors! The students - current and newly graduated were wonderful to work with.
The book drive was also a huge success. We delivered approximately 10 boxes of "gently used" books and donated almost $4,000 dollars worth of new books to the library.
Special thanks are extended to Trish Lehman and Robin Juni for their countless hours planning the event and book drive; Ted Callaway for the design and construction of the L-shaped bookshelf for the Library, Wendy Blount for helping to coordinate the book drive; Flik for supplying the drinks that kept us going throughout the day; Myles, Stephanie Thomas' son - who shared his artistic talents in designing the mural; and last, but by no means least, thanks to the staff and students of St. Francis Xavier Academy, for literally opening their doors and providing us with the challenge and honor of working in their school.
Pictures are posted on the Washington office P Drive under P:\2009 Jones Day of Service. Enjoy!
