The Catholic schools of Zanesville are making an effort this academic year to live out the Corporal Works of Mercy.
Toward that end, the Office of Campus Ministry and the house directors at Zanesville’s Catholic schools sponsored a service project that gathered materials for Heartbeats, a local pregnancy help resource center, from Oct. 17 until Nov. 18. The list of needed items was established with the help of Heartbeats executive director Kimberly Cooper.
During that time, each class was assigned a specific item to donate that would aid in the care of infants and toddlers. For example, fifth-graders at Bishop Fenwick School were to bring in diaper cream while each class at Bishop Rosecrans High School was assigned a size of diaper to donate.
As a result, almost 2,000 diapers were collected. Other items donated included blankets, toys, baby bottles, teething toys, sippy cups, pacifiers and lotions, washes and creams. In all, 3,330 items were collected. These items will be “sold” at the Heartbeats Boutique. Clients of Heartbeats earn points with which they can purchase these items by attending group sessions or individual counselling sessions sponsored by Heartbeats.
On Dec. 1, the four house directors loaded the supplies and transported them to Heartbeats. The directors were given a tour of the facility, and the programs it provides were explained. The students also learned from Cooper about volunteer opportunities at Heartbeats.
While at Heartbeats, the group discovered that the Catholic schools of Zanesville was part of a bigger local pro-life movement. During the tour, it was learned that the Knights of Columbus funded the new ultrasound machine at the facility, and that the local Catholic churches donated items to the organization during the Christmas season.
Mark Baker, the house system director, and Jonathan Medaugh, director of campus ministries, supervised the effort, which was largely executed by the student body and staff.
