On a day when federal investigators consider the legitimacy of a “credible but unconfirmed” terror threat against New York or Washington DC, hope, service, and kindness take center stage as an entire campus joins forces to further the public good.

In partnership with numerous local Atlanta nonprofits, Upper School students took to the streets, garages, vets, yards, parks, and warehouses today to assist those in need as well as the community organizers that serve on a daily basis. Today’s public service initiative is called Helping Hands Day and has become a Mount Vernon tradition during which, for a full day, public service becomes both the classroom and the teacher. The project was first envisioned seven years ago as a means of commemorating those who died, survived, responded to, and, like all of us, were affected by the tragic events of 9/11.

Led this year by Outreach Prefect Hannah Kate Ferguson, her Committee of Upper School students, and her mentor Cindy Glueckert, Upper School students are visiting places like the Drake House in Roswell (emergency housing for single, homeless mothers and/or fathers), Must Ministries in Marietta (the largest user of court ordered community service work in Cobb County), Atlanta Union Mission (a Christian nonprofit whose vision is to be a city unified in ending homelessness), and many others.

This year’s Outreach Committee includes Melanie Lane, Darian Bender, Dana Cohen, Morgan McConnell, Evan Tucker, Blythe Coward, Sarah Hall, and Jeff Lanzer.

It is our hope that in some way Mount Vernon’s efforts today pay due tribute to the men and women, the sons and daughters, who were killed as a result of 9/11, to the family and friends that miss them, and to those who have sought to restore the public good since the terror of those tragic events.

Read about Hannah Kate’s vision for HHD here.

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