Community Corner

Medfield's "16 Hands" Book Drive Starts Today

The group of eight MHS juniors is gathering books for the Italian Home in Boston.

 

It only takes one person to make a difference but what happens when you have eight people?  You get "16 Hands." 

Sixteen Hands is a group of eight now-juniors (8 girls x 2 hands = 16 Hands) at Medfield High School. 

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Members include Cami McCurdy, Kristina Gustafson, Kelsey McKenzie, Julia Pagliarulo, Molly Crabtree, Abby Viles, Delaney Lawson, and Caroline Tschirch. 

"We started this group, 16 Hands, in eighth grade to give back to the community," said member McCurdy.

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She said the group has seen, first-hand, how one (or eight) people can make a difference in the world.

. The group then traveled to Haiti to visit the children who received those backpacks. 

"That was great because we got to see how our efforts impact the world," McCurdy said. 

Other service projects have included:

  • Christmas Angels. Sponsored three families through the Christmas season
  • Children’s Liturgy. Taught catholic education
  • White Lotus Organization. Sold cards for women in Cambodia
  • Support breast cancer. Donate time to raise awareness

Their latest effort is a book drive to benefit the Italian Home for Children in Jamaica Plain

"We're trying to collect as many books as possible for the Italian Home; they help kids in foster care and orphans," said McCurdy. 

The group is partnering with Park Street Books & Toys owner Jim James who has commited to helping the girls with the project, and the public is invited to do the same.

From March 25 to March 29, there will be donation boxes at each of the school buildings in the district as well as at Park Street Books, and the girls are hoping people will look through their bookshelves (and boxes of books in storage) and donate them to a good cause.

"There are so many books that people don't need and they can really help the Italian Home," said McCurdy.

16 Hands says that, if they collect enough books, they would also like to donate to the Home for Little Wanderers and other charities. 

For more information, contact the group at "sixteen16hands@hotmail.com." 


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