Grant helps first-grader brighten senior citizens’, shut-ins’ Easter

In this Feb. 26 photo, Jimmy Schepers, front, places a plastic egg into a colorful Easter bag destined for a senior citizen or shut-in of St. John Paul II Parish in Clark County, while his mom, Dawn Schepers, places completed bags in a box in the background. Jimmy won a $500 Indianapolis Colts Student All Star community service grant to coordinate the project. His first-grade classmates at St. Paul School in Sellersburg helped fill the Easter bags. (Photo by Natalie Hoefer)

By Natalie Hoefer

SELLERSBURG—In November of 2015 when Jimmy Schepers heard that he’d been selected to receive a $500 Indianapolis Colts Student All Star community service grant, he had an unusual reaction.

“I was scared, because I didn’t know what to do!” the 7-year-old said with large eyes.

But then his mom reminded him about the idea they’d brainstormed for the application two months prior: to create Easter bags for the senior citizens group and the shut-ins of their parish, St. John Paul II in Clark County.

It was all excitement and planning from there.

The project came about when Jimmy’s mother, Dawn Schepers, read about the grant in an e-mail from the Indiana Youth Institute last September. The Colts grant, sponsored in conjunction with Grange Insurance of Indianapolis, called for youths ages 13 and younger to outline a plan for a community service project in partnership with a non-profit organization, identify what resources would be needed, and explain how the project would impact those in their community. The grant could be for up to $500.

“We talked about what we could do for a group in the parish,” said Dawn Schepers, who also serves as the parish’s youth ministry coordinator.

“We have a lunch [in the St. Paul School gym in Sellersburg] once a month for the senior citizens of the parish. I knew we wouldn’t get the money until after the [Christmas] holidays, so we thought we could make Easter bags and deliver them to the seniors at their lunch during Holy Week, and also to shut-ins [in the parish].” Bags will also be delivered separately by Jimmy and a classmate to senior citizens of the parish’s St. Joseph campus.

Jimmy was one of six applicants—and the youngest winner—selected to receive the Student All Star grant. He received the full $500 he requested for his project.

“Jimmy [and] the five other recipients were awarded funding because the goals of their projects most closely aligned with the requirements of the grant,” said Amy Waymire, Indianapolis Colts community relations assistant. “This program aims to get students involved in a service project that will strengthen their community and make a positive impact on others.”

Jimmy enlisted the members of his first-grade class at St. Paul School to help fill the Easter bags.

On Feb. 26, the children gathered around for Jimmy’s demonstration of how to assemble the bags.

Like an enthusiastic salesman, he showed off each item—most purchased with the grant money—that would comprise the contents of each of the 180 colorful Easter gift bags: two plastic eggs with sugar-free candy, one plastic egg with a finger puppet, one plastic egg with a rosary donated by the parish, a small wooden cross, a “little chickie” made of chenille, a pinball maze game, and a handmade Easter card colored and signed by Jimmy or another of his 17 classmates.

Jamie Bruggeman, Jimmy’s first-grade teacher who agreed to be listed on the application as overseer of the project, was happy to include the class in creating the Easter bags.

“I think it’s a great extension of what we do and talk about every day in the classroom, talking about helping others,” explained Bruggeman, who is also a St. John Paul II parishioner with children attending St. Paul School.

“It’s kind of a hands-on thing where they can actually do what we talk about every day. I think this has made an impact on them to make the connection with giving. I think they feel really good about this [project] because they actually helped make it and will get to give it to the senior citizens themselves.”

After the bags were filled—a job quickly done when 18 children form a cheerful assembly line dropping one item from each pile into the bags—Jimmy reflected on how the project made him feel.

“It makes you feel happy” to give, he concluded.

His classmate Baileigh Schneider agreed.

“It makes you feel good inside,” she said. When the senior citizens receive the bags, she said, “I think they will be happy and smile.” †