Seraphs Give Back to Community with Day of Service Mater Dei Prep students volunteer throughout Monmouth County

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MIDDLETOWN—Service was the watchword on April 28 when every Mater Dei Prep student participated in the school’s first ever Day of Service, a school-wide event aimed at giving back to the community.
Students and faculty travelled throughout Monmouth County to volunteer their time. Many helped build a house with Habitat for Humanity in Freehold or worked at the ReStore. Others spent the day helping at Lunch Break in Red Bank or cleaning up beaches at Sandy Hook with the National Park Service. Through The United Way, students volunteered at several locations in Union Beach, fixing homes and businesses.
While most Mater Dei Prep students already complete, on average, 100 hours of community service a year, the Day of Service provided the opportunity to realize where help is needed outside their community. After helping build a house, students and faculty are now in the process of forming a campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity at the school.
Most came away from the day with a renewed sense of what it means to be part of a community. “The goal for this day was to give back to the community and reinforce in our students the importance of volunteering and service to others,” said Margaret Cahill, a teacher at Mater Dei Prep, and coordinator of the event. “I believe we accomplished that.” The plan is to make the Day of Service an annual event.