Serving Our Community
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
– Mahatma Gandhi
Our dedicated volunteers and the young people we serve understand the principle of giving. They work individually and collectively to serve their community in different ways.
Bringing on the Holiday Cheer!
A few of our scholars showing off the results of an evening of hard work and fellowship. This is their second annual gift-wrapping community service party.
Members of the robotics team wrapped gifts for a 7-year-old as part of the Families Helping Families initiative in collaboration with USC School of Medicine's Student National Medical Association (SNMA).
Gift bags filled with lots of goodies were prepared for 10 senior citizens aged 90-100 years-old who are served through Richland County Sheriff's Department Project Hope led by Deputy Debo.
The OM team collected enough nonperishable food items to add to 10 turkey baskets donated to families at Forest Heights Elementary. This initiative was coordinated through Kappa Lamba Chi Military Fraternity.
Lego League Loading
One of the little members of our newest team, Comet Blox, assists young visitors with making kazoos from recycled materials. Adjacent, Coding Comets assist residents with creating lava lamps. This activity was part of the National Nigh Out festivities at Haskell Heights First Baptist Church held on August 1.
Seed Sorting for Service
While waiting for a hungry crowd at a weekend fundraiser, these OMers and Robotics team members are sorting seeds donated from all over the country. The free seeds will be offered to attendees at an upcoming plant exchange. These youth volunteers, along with six others will be putting in services hours to promote gardening, planting pollinators and growing and preserving food. The Forest Heights Plant Swap is an annual event happening on the third Saturday in May where people come out to share an abundance of plants and tips for growing them. The community is celebrating a decade of giving! This is the first time NoMa STEAM's Coding Comets will be helping to plan the event, arrange plants, distribute seeds, and share other giveaways. We are all excited to be a part of the mulit-generational outdoor affair!
Advocating for the Future of STEM
The SC Afterschool Alliance was one of a short list of organizations called upon to showcase STEM-focused afterschool activities that impact the lives of South Carolina's youth. NoMa Scholar, MacKenzie Glover, read the Governor's Proclamation during the STEM Ed event at the State Capitol while three other Coding Comets entertained passers-by with Ursa in tow. These scholars did a phenomenal job of advocating for all things STEM as they answered questions about this year's robot challenge and shared the benefits of being part of a community afterschool STEM program.
Tax Prep Certification
Four NoMa scholars were among 9 members of the high school's Mu Alpha Theta chapter of the National Math Honor Society who were trained by an IRS Representative to receive tax preparation certification. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program provides individuals with a free tax preparation service to community members who need this support. These students, who are all enrolled in high-level math courses, will participate in Part B of the training. Then, they will be fully certified to assist residents next tax season.
Caring for our Heroes
One of our junior scholars spent time over spring break making crafts that will be mailed out to a few of our country's veterans. This is a key chain created with beads and leather. Some of the older scholars hand-sewed messenger bags and gloves, or they constructed dream catchers. These young people never stop thinking of ways to give back.
Trash to Treasure
Each person in the US accumulates more than 4.9 pounds of waste per day. This adds up to 292.4 million tons of trash dumped into landfills each year (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2022). Four OMers and one of their coaches collected water bottles that were littering the bleachers and floor after a recent high school basketball game. While they were doing a great deed by collecting 3 bags full of trash, they were also planning something spectacular. These students will repurpose the bottles they collected to create an artifact for their upcoming Odyssey of the Mind competition. OM combines creative thinking, problem solving and critical analysis.
First Road Trip
Seven parents and representatives of our community partners volunteered to chaperone and transport the robotics team to their first event of the season. Team 9315 attended the FIRST Robotics Kick-off in North Charleston, SC. Thanks to our generous donors, the students arrived in style, networked with many other attending teams and brought back loot to tinker with. Read more about this experience on our blog.
Serving Families for the Holidays
Several students volunteered to wrap gifts for a family from the Midlands Families Helping Families Christmas Program. There were 4 people in the family, so we evenly split the gifts between all of us. We laughed, listened to music, and enjoyed each other’s company, all while doing what we came to do. We were wrapping for a while, but we still managed to get the job done. ~ Jaelah M.
A Friend in Need
The OM team collected gifts and initiated a winter clothing drive for a four-year-old who needed something extra for the holidays. A sweet little girl recieved a brand new winter coat, gloves and a stocking full of candy and toys. donated by the OM crew.