Parish Episcopal Partners with United to Learn for Dave’s Day of Service
More than 350 Parish Episcopal School community members gathered on Oct. 2 to honor someone with a heart for service — by committing to an entire day of doing good.
Parents, students, faculty, staff, and grandparents came out to support several United to Learn partner schools as part of Parish’s inaugural Dave’s Day of Service. The event was launched in honor of Parish Episcopal School’s 50th Anniversary and named in honor of Dave Monaco, Parish’s Allen Meyer Family Head of School, and his wife Mollie for their passion and dedication to serving the broader education community here in Dallas. Monaco serves as Board Chair for United to Learn, an education nonprofit that supports Dallas ISD elementary schools.
Led by parent co-chairs, Jody Swartzwelder and Mollie Monaco, Parish volunteers completed more than 20 projects at elementary schools Leonides Gonzalez Cigarroa, Anne Frank, José “Joe” May, Julian T. Saldivar and one middle school, Benjamin Franklin International Exploratory Academy. Volunteers of all ages worked on projects at school sites, such as gardening, painting, power-washing and organizing supplies. There were also many activities on Parish’s campus, such as creating thank you notes for students to choose from, including packing snack bags, creating fidget toys and curricular games, recording books for students to listen to, and more.
“I serve because of the impact I see every time I help others, even when it is something simple,” said junior Graydon Moore. “I have always strived to use my gifts and talents to help others. Whether it’s creating signs for [an organization], painting a theatre set for a children’s theatre, or baking cookies for [a soup kitchen], I always feel like I have spent my time for the greater good.”
