Kids make a difference at Falcon Heights Elementary

Children decorated paper butterflies for a banner, listened to stories read by teachers and greeted their friends in the school gyms on a cold January night. Parents chatted as their kids dashed from table to table for activities.

But this was no typical family fun night at Falcon Heights Elementary School. The families were there for a purpose. They were there to help others.

The fifth annual Family Service Night drew more than 250 students and their families to the two gyms at the school on Jan. 28. It was a record attendance for the event.

There were tables and stations set up around the school gyms. Organizers say it’s “almost like a festival.” But there were no balloon animals, games or dance music. In fact, the only snacks on hand were being packaged for distribution to families in need.

The annual event, created by the Falcon Families for Equity and Justice (FFEJ) and the school PTA, is a chance for the community to dig into hands-on projects of community service. Families filled food bags with donations, made fleece blankets and stuffed animals and “Welcome Home” signs for Habitat for Humanity.

Holly Menninger, co-organizer of the Family Service Night and long-term, active member of FFEJ, says the organization was started by a group of parents and caregivers who came together following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020 “to support each other.” 

The group works closely with the Roseville school district, Menninger says. Connection, learning, and community were “baked in from the very beginning.” 

Menninger says most volunteer opportunities aren’t open to kids younger than 12. “You can’t take a fourth-grader to Habitat for Humanity,” she says. This event gives children a chance to get involved.

Second-grader Ricky Flathmann from Falcon Heights, who was at the Family Service Fair with his dad, Reed Flathmann, said his favorite activities for the night were making a butterfly for the wall banner and scooping laundry soap into bags.

Passport to Service

Each family received a “passport to service” when they entered the school. Each stop at one of the stations earned a stamp. A full passport was good for a sticker.

Here’s where they stopped:

Falcon Families for Equity and Justice gathered meal staples for families who fear leaving their homes during ICE operations in the Twin Cities. Kids and parents bagged the food. Parent Annika Gangeness took on the project, which was funded through FFEJ fundraising work and in-kind donations from Cub Foods and Costco.

MATTERbox, a group that helps people launch projects that improve communities, had a station where kids packed bags with healthy snacks and hygiene kits for families in need.

Keystone Community Services, which serves youth, seniors and food shelf services in St. Paul and Ramsey County, helped with a food drive organized by fifth- and sixth-grade student leaders who collected breakfast items.

Keystone also had a station where kids could fill plastic bags with powdered laundry soap. A local Scout troop helped with the scooping and pouring.

Children’s Minnesota pediatric health care, was a stop to give kids a chance to fill plush toys that will be “reading buddies” for patients.

TC Habitat for Humanity had a station where kids could make “Welcome Home” signs that will be given to families moving into new homes built with help from the organization, which promotes affordable home ownership and racial equity in housing.

My Very Own Bed, which provides new beds and bedding for children who are moving into stable housing, will receive fleece blankets made at the event. Girl Scout Troop 57534 had cut the fringes for 10 blankets and people stopping at the station could help tie them.

Do Good Roseville, a community-based group that makes connections to do good things in the community, had a table where families could make valentines for seniors and cards that are delivered several times a year. They also had a table to make cards for immigrant families to be included with food deliveries.

Pet Haven, a Minnesota foster-based pet rescue, will get pet toys made at the service fair.

“This event couldn’t come at a better time for our community,” said school board member Todd Anderson, who visited the event with other board members.

The event also had support from Falcon Heights Lauderdale Lions Club, Blaze Credit Union, Calvary Church Community Care Fund, Thrivent, and Desrochers Realty Group.

"From these handwritten notes to larger commitments of time and energy, these acts of service reflect the values we strive to nurture in our students: compassion, responsibility, and care for others. Your support and encouragement play an important role in helping students see that their words and actions truly matter," Falcon Heights Principal Beth Behnke wrote in an email to Falcon families.