By By ZURI KELVER / Niles Daily Star
NILES – Merritt Elementary School recognized 75 volunteers Thursday morning for their service to the school system. The majority of volunteers have children or grandchildren who attend Merritt. They spend their spare time helping out with field trips, book fairs and a dozen other programs that would not be possible without their help.
Roxanne Childs and Diana Stockwell are 'Room Moms' who donate their time assisting with daily classroom activities and special occasions such as field days or craft parties. Childs and Stockwell said they just love hanging out with the kids.
The volunteers were greeted with a buffet style breakfast and letters of appreciation from Karen Weimer, school principal.
Weimer said she wanted to recognize those who gave a significant amount of time as volunteers.
The school began to keep track of volunteer hours on March 24 of this year and the unofficial tally is now up to 62 hours.
While the volunteer program saves money the real impact is the strengthening of bonds within the school community.
Principal Weimer said the children love to see the parents get involved and the teachers are able to develop relationships with the parents who volunteer their time.