Falls Church High's Fire/EMT Class Collects And Delivers To Homeless

From Falls Church Academy: On Saturday, the students in the Fire and EMT class at Falls Church High School took a trip into Washington, DC. While most people are sightseeing at this time of year, taking in the beauty of the lights and displays of the holidays, these students got the opportunity to see two firehouse stations (that serve the White House and the Capitol) and then went on to support people they had never met. The students visited parks and distributed donated items to the homeless.

The students in the Fire and EMT classes were continuing a tradition. This is the 23rd year that the classes made this trip and supported the homeless. In preparation, students collected goods from local companies—including a dentist that donated over 200 toothbrushes, another that donated reading glasses, and others that donated bathroom products, hats, gloves, blankets, and food. They gathered the items and then spent last Saturday—with wind chill temperatures below freezing—working with staff members to hand out the goods.

Two students that went on the trip—junior Mattie Ivey and senior Macarena Santillan—said they preferred to be out helping people. Mattie commented, “This was a much better way to spend your Saturday, better than sitting in front of your TV or playing games. We’ve accomplished something.”. Macarena felt similarly. She said that their teacher, Ms. Penny Kelly, “…does everything out of love and we see this. It makes you want to be in her class and with your class members because she has made her classes like a family. So Saturday was a family event doing something nice for others. We are training to become EMT’s. As an EMT, you help people in need. This was just being an EMT and helping others.”

Ms. Kelly is a teacher that came to Falls Church High School to start the EMT program years ago. She has received numerous awards, both regional and national, including the Outstanding Emergency Medical Service Pre-Hospital Educator of the Year—though you would never know it. She keeps her focus on the students, and as this tradition shows, on doing what she can to help others in need.

Photos courtesy of Falls Church Fire & EMT Class