The Day of Giving has always been a day when alums, friends, and families of the Holderness community support our school and everything we do here by generously donating money. Donations from past Days of Giving support the day-to-day operation of the school and programs like Out Back, Artward Bound, and Project Outreach. However, this year’s Day of Giving, on February 16, will look a little different, thanks to the work of our new Head of School, Mr. McVeigh. A couple of weeks ago, Mr. McVeigh announced that this Day of Giving will start the tradition of adding a community service element to the day. He says that as a school so focused on helping others, it only makes sense for us to include that value in a day that is all about giving! So what does this service look like for us students and faculty of Holderness? Mr. McVeigh’s vision for this day is for it to be “one of action.” To accomplish this goal, we will be doing projects that actively serve people in surrounding New Hampshire communities. This means doing things like cleaning up a park, doing trail work, making food for a shelter or anything else you can come up with! 

I thought it would be a lot more meaningful to hear from Mr. McVeigh himself about this new take on the Day of Giving, so here are his answers to some questions you might have!

Sarah: What inspired you to expand the mission of The Day of Giving to include both outside donors giving to us and us giving back to the community?

Mr. McVeigh: Holderness has always been about serving others, it’s right there in our mission statement. It felt like a natural connection to have the Day of Giving also be a day of service. We know that many people in our region need help and we are in a great position to provide assistance. 

S: How do you see this changing our community? Do you see this idea growing in the future?

McV: I hope that it inspires people within our community to gain perspective on the bigger picture and to build the habits that will lead to a life of serving others. In the future it would be great to see groups of alums all around the world providing service on this day.

S: Are you planning on participating in community service?

McV: Absolutely, if I want everyone to participate I need to lead by example. My administrative team will be working together on a project during the week of giving. Together we will provide some much-needed care for Betsy’s Park, a local park that has close ties to our school. In addition, my family and I will be taking on a service project of our own. And if any other groups on campus need an extra set of hands, I’m all in! 

Now that all your questions about the Day of Giving have been answered, let’s talk about how you can get involved! All you need to do is think of projects that you and any existing group you belong to – whether that’s a dorm group, advisory or team – could do in order to serve outside communities around us. Then send in your idea to this form and you’re all set! Also note that your service does not have to just be on the Day of Giving itself; any service between now through the end of the school year counts toward this effort! The goal for this year’s Day of Giving is to reach 1500 donors and to match that with 1500 hours of service done by members of our community. This may seem like a lot of time, but if everyone gets involved and puts in 3-4 hours of service, this goal is totally within reach! So please, take action and get involved with this Day of Giving, and, like our school motto says, let’s “work for the betterment of humankind and God’s creation”!