What Breaks Your Heart?

“What breaks your heart?” was the question that author and humanitarian, Kathy LeMay, posed to Riverstone students yesterday. By sharing her personal journey from the oldest mill town in America to war-torn Bosnia and beyond, she inspired everyone in attendance. Her message was simple: No matter how old you are or what your personal situation is, you can create meaningful change with what you have, where you are.

After a question and answer session (great questions, by the way!), the students broke into their advisory groups to tackle three questions:

• What breaks your heart?
• What inspires you?
• What three things can you do tomorrow to change the situation that breaks your heart?

A representative from each group shared with the collective group what they had discussed. Although it is difficult to capture the feeling of the day in words, it was wonderful seeing our students think about the many ways that they could influence change without spending a dime. “Sharing an elegant smile,” using their talent as photographers or writers, improving awareness of current events, building a website, and volunteering for an organization were just a few of the many ideas presented.

Kathy’s presentation dovetails beautifully with our school’s commitment to service learning. Our Grade 6-10 students created displays highlighting their current service projects working with the Ronald McDonald House, Boise WaterShed, and Idaho Foodbank. They are also raising awareness of human trafficking.

During the remainder of the day, Kathy and her college, Alyssa Bregeut, spent time with our service learning coordinators, teachers, and students.

We are thankful for the gift of time with Kathy and Alyssa. We hope that our paths cross again soon!

We are also grateful for our behind-the-scenes sponsor of this event. Your generosity made this day possible.

To learn more about Kathy LeMay and her organization, Raising Change, please visit their website.