‘Small but mighty’: Cudahy elementary school surprises Milwaukee VA with large donation

Each year, the student council at J. E. Jones Elementary School sponsors a service project for the school’s students. This spring, the student council chose to collect donation items from the Milwaukee VA’s wish list to support Veterans’ experience and aid in their wellness and recovery.

The donation drive lasted three weeks. As an added incentive to participate, the class in the K4 to sixth grade school that brought in the most items would win a popcorn party. Collaboratively, the school collected more than 2,400 items for Veterans at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center.

“The top three classrooms had collectively over 1,500 items,” said Jennifer Drana, a teacher at the school who also helps run the student council.

The school has always considered themselves to be ‘small but mighty’ according to Drana.

“We work so hard,” Drana said. “We have under 200 kids here, so we were shocked. So many of them have Veterans in their family that some of these families just really dug deep.”

In addition, the student council – primarily fifth and sixth graders – made tie blankets to donate.

“They were so proud of themselves,” Drana said. “It was really fun to get to do it. And kids need to learn about service. I’m really glad our school was able to teach them to give back.”

The donation came as a welcome surprise to the Milwaukee VA’s Center for Development and Civic Engagement staff when it was dropped off earlier this spring.

“With typical donation drives, someone reaches out ahead of time, asks questions, and coordinates with CDCE staff,” said Jessica Serdynski, chief of voluntary service. “When the donation came in, we were so excited. We couldn’t believe the amount of items that were collected.”

This was the largest donation the Milwaukee VA has received from a single school according to the CDCE, and it came at an opportune time.

“This donation came during a time when it is not the most prominent or popular time for giving,” Serdynski said. “It meant so much to be able to restock our donation shelves and get needed items like water bottles and activity books out to the Veterans. These are items that make staying in the hospital a little easier, providing comfort and care.”

Many of the donations have been distributed to different departments within the medical center, including homeless Veteran programs, mental health, acute nursing, recreational therapy, and whole health.

“The students’, parents’, and school staff’s enthusiasm and dedication to giving back to the community really shined through with the number of items that were collected,” Serdynski said. “The students are truly inspiring, and this selfless act reflects the values of compassion and kindness that the school and parents instill in the children.”

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