Our Lady of the Mountains School - Paintsville at 405 Third Street, Paintsville, KY 41240 US - Haven of Saints

After a very successful year, OLM is proud to continue our unique and innovative service program known as “Haven of Saints”. This program incorporates our service projects and former Big/Little Buddy Program into a comprehensive new format designed to benefit our students by providing them with a smaller community within the larger school system. Younger students will now have the support of several “Big Buddies”, which will continue to enhance the home-like atmosphere at OLM. This program is designed to foster cohesion among the students to ensure that older students know their younger classmates by name and can help them feel valued and included in the larger school community. This format will also allow us to address our many outreach service projects in an organized, efficient manner. Groups will meet each Friday and participate in structured tasks, group reading and service projects, and fun filled seasonal activities. Each group will have a designated teacher to serve as their mentor and a theme based on a Saint. “Havens” for the 2009-2010 school year are as follows:

St Joseph Haven:  Led by Mrs. Lewis, this Haven will focus on service projects to benefit Appalachian Hospice in Johnson County.  The haven is aptly named, as St. Joseph is the patron saint of the dying.  Decorated "Pennies for Hospice"  jars are scattered throughout the school, awaiting pocket change, which will counted up and donated to Hospice at the end of the year.  In addition, students will make cards or gifts for all the major holidays to distribute to patients.  St. Joseph's Haven is a very ecumenical group, as it includes members of he world's three major religions -- Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  Mrs. Lewis is very pleased with how well her students of different ages and backgrounds work together!

 St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals Led by Miss Lorna, this haven will oversee our “Pounds for Pups” service project. This project involves collecting and bundling newspapers for delivery to the Floyd County Animal Shelter. The benefits of this project are two-fold -- the animals benefit from clean cages; and the environment benefits from our unique recycling program! Miss Lorna and her Haven of Saints also plans to collect items to assist the Floyd County Animal Shelter in managing the day-to-day needs of the many animals they serve. Items that are requested include the following: • Bleach • Paper towels • Pedigree puppy food • Dog and cat toys • Old towels (for bathing) • Old blankets (for warmth and comfort) • Kitty litter • Lysol • Old stuffed animals (small and medium size – to provide comfort, warmth, and socialization)

St. Therese of the Child Jesus “The little flower” Led by Mrs. Cybriwsky, this haven will focus on random acts of kindness, and the PRIDE environmental program on our school grounds, in the surrounding community, and at the Johnson County Outdoor Classroom. They will also be responsible for making the “Hands and Feet of Jesus” trail around the third floor ballroom. After mass each Friday, school children who demonstrate exemplary behavior are recognized for specific kind or loving actions. Each action is recorded on a paper cut-out hand or foot and taped to the wall. The trail grows as the year progresses, and serves as a tangible demonstration of our commitment to serving others. St. Therese’s haven will also collect aluminum cans and copper for the benefit of Our Lady of Nazareth School in Nairobi, Kenya.

St. Vincent de Paul:  Led my Mrs. Melvin, this haven is working with the Kentucky Children's Hospital in Lexington by collecting new and gently used items for children admitted there.  The haven accepting items such as play-dough, coloring books, crayons, markers, games, craft supplies/kits, children's DVD's or CD's, toys, picture books, chapter books, magazines, etc.  The haven is also making get well and holiday cards to send to the hospital for children and their families.

St. Francis Xavier:  Led by Mrs. Terry, this haven will collect glasses for missionaries in Peru and Haiti and sponsor the school’s “Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF” program. Plans are well underway for the annual Halloween carnival, which will be held on October 30th.  Mrs. Terry has also developed a program to raise funds for gym equipment for LaPetit Universidad through the collection of Nestle Pure Life water bottle labels.  Last year, this haven purchased 2 soccer balls, a giant playground ball, a smaller playground ball, and 1 dozen jump ropes to send to this Christian school in Haiti.  

St Nicholas Haven:  Led by Mrs. Wiley, this haven collects winter clothing items (new or gently used) to send to children in Poland.  Mrs. Wiley and her students are also developing a program to work with the Smile Train ogranization, which offers services, including surgery,  to underprivledged children with cleft palates. 

We are proud of our students and teachers working together in our unique Haven of Saints program. What a wonderful way to live our mission and emphasize the importance of service to others!

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