By Georgiana Francisco and Rose O’Connor | Correspondents

More than 80 first responders were greeted by an enormous “Thank You” sign as they walked through the doors of St. Paul School, Burlington, April 28, but to Stella Jacoby, one stood out among the rest.

“My Daddy is a hero because he catches the bad guys,” the St. Paul School student said of her father, Albert J. Jacoby of the Florence Police Department – one of the first responders honored during the school’s Day of Service activities.

The Corporal Works of Mercy were carried out in memorable, creative and fun ways April 28 as thousands of Catholic school students around the Diocese of Trenton spent a day performing works of service. Initiated by the diocesan Department of Catholic Schools, the third annual Day of Service saw students in grades Pre-K through 12 participating in various projects across the Diocese’s four counties, including collecting canned goods for the poor, spending time with senior citizens, hosting breakfasts for first responders and military personnel, and sprucing up nearby park grounds or beaches.

“I’m very proud of what the school is doing here today. The children are recognizing our contribution to keeping their community safe,” said Albert J. Jacoby, who in addition to his daughter Stella, has two other children enrolled in St. Paul School. “My children know and understand the nature of my job, but many children either don’t know any first responders or haven’t had the opportunity to meet them in person.”

Jacoby and his father, Albert A. Jacoby – a firefighter in Florence – were among those thanked for their service during a breakfast hosted by students at the school. In addition to the complimentary pancakes and other early morning fare, there was a short program in which some of the students sang songs or recited poetry of thanks and praise for their community firefighters, police force, emergency medical technicians, school crossing guards, and others who are on daily alert for safety and life-saving situations.

Student-made table placemats added a personal touch to the event – each showed a different student’s handprint with colorful artwork and the message, “Thank you for your helping hands.”

Some guests had tears in their eyes as kindergarten and Pre-K students sang a familiar children’s tune with new words written by St. Paul music teacher Justine Bifano. “You heal our boo boos,” and “We are very grateful,” the children sang.

This was the second year the school has saluted first responders as part of the service day.

“It’s been a rewarding experience for the students, our school and for these members of our community who don’t often get the praise and honor they deserve for the important service they provide each and every day,” school principal Bill Robbins said.

Long-Lasting Impact

Honoring those in their community was also the goal for students in St. Mary School, Middletown. Dozens of senior citizens from Middletown Senior Center visited the school for a morning of music performed by the school’s band and a student production of “Godspell,” followed by a buffet lunch and songs sung by kindergarteners.

“I live in a senior residence, and to be around children and to have them perform for us and make us laugh and smile and be happy again is the most wonderful feeling in the world,” said Middletown Senior Center resident Eileen Sacca. “It’s going to stay with us for weeks.”

Student Kelly Obermann said that after participating in last year’s Day of Service, she had been looking forward to visiting with the senior citizens.

“We’re so fortunate to go to this great school, so it’s really fun to give back to the community,” she said, adding that the day, “teaches me that helping people is always very important.”

Sacca said the Day of Service really does serve both the younger and older alike. “I think they’ll learn how important they are to us, and we in turn can set an example for them.”

Allies in Service

Learning from each other was certainly on the agenda in Hamilton as Trenton Catholic Academy Upper School students spent the day with 30 teens and adults from Allies Inc., a nonprofit agency dedicated to providing housing, health care, meaningful employment and recreational opportunities to people with special needs.

“It was an amazing experience,” junior Katrina Rivera said fondly. “I’d never worked with people with different abilities, and it showed me their capabilities. This may be something I’d like to do in the future.”

Classmate Amanda Pintella also enjoyed working with those associated with Allies Inc. “It was a great day.  Everybody should feel loved regardless of their abilities; inside we are all the same. God made us equal, and we deserve to be treated that way.”

Jim Gaven, Allies Inc. director of music programming, and Sister Barbara Schreier, Upper School’s service coordinator, hoped for a day of activities that would be mutually beneficial for both groups.

“I’ve had this vision to work with the high school population and maybe inspire them … and for our Allies to have fun and connect with someone outside their regular circle,” Gaven said.

To help accomplish Gaven’s vision, Sister Barbara enlisted the help of the boys’ varsity basketball team, namely seniors Chris Labelle, team captain, and True Alton for a day of fun at the Upper School.

Labelle and Alton planned the day of games and activities, working carefully and diligently with Gaven to assure that the needs of the Allies from the Mercer Day Program in the Special Services District at Mercer County College and the Flemington Day Program were met and that they felt special and welcomed by the school community.

“We tried to pick things that everyone could do and that everyone could have fun doing,” Labelle said.

In addition to Labelle and Alton, members of the team and about 20 students volunteered to assist in the Day of Service.

Once the Allies arrived, they played ice breaker games with their student-led team leaders and shared a meal together at lunchtime. Following lunch, the teams began their game rotations, playing kickball, basketball dribbling, foul shooting, dancing and a Frisbee toss.  Each activity was modified for the individuals’ physical abilities, with their student team leaders assisting at each activity.

The Allies and students also worked together to assemble snack bags for the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, where both TCA students and Allies volunteer.

“You’ve really made our day,” Labelle said to the Allies. “We hope we made yours.”

While the Day of Service was the first official day of activity planned for the two groups, both parties hope to plan similar days yearly.

Reflecting on the day, Gaven was pleased with the students. “A lot of amazing things happened here today,” he observed. “I think it was great.”

As an example, Gaven mentioned one student, Sarah Negron, who partnered with James, who is visually impaired.

“She was great, she took his hand and took care of him all day,” Gaven said.

It was a perfect match, as Negron is accustomed to assisting someone who can’t see. “My abuelo [grandfather] is blind, so I am used to helping him move around the house and getting what he needs.”

Fun with Food

Students in St. Joseph School, Toms River, were all about meeting needs during their Day of Service activities, which included the annual “Canned Sculpture” contest where each grade created a sculpture using the canned goods they had collected over the past several weeks.

Once completed, a friendly contest was held with teachers judging their students’ sculpture creations. Later in the day, all of the canned goods were gathered and delivered to the food pantry hosted by St. Joseph Parish.

While the contest was “the fun part” of the day, teacher William Dudley said it was great to see all the kids being active. “It’s about the service aspect, and to see these students at such a young age already being active in their community and their school and helping others … it’s just fantastic.”

Student Olivia Lechner agreed that while she had fun, she also learned important lessons from doing good works. “Everyone deserves a nice meal.”

Video from Mike Ehrmann and Joe Moore contributed to this report.