Kingdom Fair: Sailors Sign On to Help Our Community

4/18/2018

On Wednesday, April 18, our community gathered for our annual Kingdom Fair event celebrating the incredible service that the Junior Class participated in throughout the year.

Kingdom Fair began nearly 25 years ago as an amalgamation of Marymount’s Religious Studies curriculum and The Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary’s (RSHM), mission, “That all may have life and have it to the full.” The incorporation of education into action is a primary goal of our school, and the Junior-year service project is the pinnacle of Marymount’s Religious Studies curriculum. Juniors use their education to engage with local community organizations to gain first-hand experience about the causes and populations in which they support. They, then, find innovative ways to help the communities in which they serve.

During student presentations to the assembly, Junior Emma S. spoke about her experience volunteering at the Garden of Palms, a private retirement, assisted living and memory care community in Los Angeles. She brought her therapy dog, Luna, to the center to interact with residents. A woman suffering from dementia enjoyed Luna’s company tremendously, as Luna reminded her of her own childhood dog. Emma recounted her interaction with this woman and said that on her next visit, the woman’s daughter approached her crying because Luna had sparked her mother’s memory: she recognized her daughters for the first time in years.

“It was really important for me to witness this family and how I helped them,” she said.

The Class of 2019 then presented their individual service projects to showcase their chosen organizations and experiences. The rest of the student body, along with faculty and staff, visited students’ booths to learn more about their experience of direct service and advocacy on behalf of their community in need.

This year, Juniors worked with a diverse group of organizations including A Place Called Home (APCH), the Special Olympics, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Girl Powered, the St. Agnes School of Performing Arts, the Autism Partnership, Rustic Pathways and Bread and Roses, among many others.

At Marymount, we believe education is only as effective as the caliber of the person a student becomes. Kingdom Fair allows students to realize they can be global advocates for the marginalized, the voiceless and the needy. It is a tradition beloved by both current students and alumnae, who often site their Junior-year project as an impetus to life-long dedication to volunteerism and social activism.

We remain steadfast in inspiring and enabling our amazing Sailors to continue to act and help our world become a better place.

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