Student Service that Inspires Us All

To serve God is to serve others. This can sometimes be a daunting task, and we often find great difficulty knowing where to start or in what capacity we can serve others.  A sixth grade student at St. Joseph School is here to offer all of us, young and old, the inspiration we need!

Two years ago, Mitch and his family visited a local family shelter to drop off donations. Upon leaving, he was inspired to find a more meaningful way to help the residents, especially the children. Mitch says, “I originally thought that raising money would be great, but then I realized that donating my time was just as valuable, especially since the kids there have very little to do for fun.” Mitch always loved playing with Legos and thought that the children in a shelter would enjoy playing with them, too.

Mitch met with the Volunteer Coordinator at the Eastern Family Resource Center located in Baltimore County to discuss his idea. Now, Mitch’s idea has transformed into a weekly program at the shelter called “Mitch Bricks”. Mitch and his family set up stations throughout a room at the shelter and assist the children with building and playing with Legos. Many of the children have never even played with Legos before and get very excited when he visits. Mitch also enjoys getting to know the children at the shelter. Mitch admits that he has “learned lots from our conversations and I get to hear all about their hopes of living in a home again someday.”

Several St. Joseph students have also volunteered to help Mitch during his Mitch Bricks events. As Keynote Speaker at our Student Retreat in March, Mitch shared some inspiring words with students. He said, “It’s not hard to come up with an idea of how to help others. No idea is ever too small, you just have to have faith and make it happen.”

Mitch not only spends time at the shelter with Mitch Brick events, but also organizes frequent clothing drives and donations for those in need. Mitch is truly an inspiration for us all.

To find out more about Mitch Bricks and how you can support the Mitch Bricks Program, visit his Facebook page, @Michbricks. Mitch was also featured on WMAR-TV on April 10, 2019.