Service Club
Service club joins Operation Gratitude!
Alyssa Kennedy '27
Around Campus Editor
Louisville’s service club, run by Mary Piscatella ’24, has done several beautiful things to brighten our community. On Saturday, February 10, the morning after Winter Formal, Piscatella and the service club joined Operation Gratitude by helping them make 2,500 care packages for deployed troops around the world.
According to their website operation Gratitude has made 3,934,621 care packages since it was founded by Carolyn Blashek in 2003. One day, Carolyn spoke to a war soldier who explained to Carolyn how he had lost sight of all the love and appreciation around him.
Farrah Heidari' 27, Kaitie Ruidin '27, and Allyson Hurgoiu '27 sorting heartwarming cards for families.
From that moment on, Carolyn had a goal to make every soldier who serves our country aware that the American people are thankful for their sacrifices. Carolyn realized that care packages are a great way to show our troops that we care, and this is where Operation Gratitude was born. The first 645 care packages were made in her living room and were sent out to our soldiers.
During the service club’s participation in Operation Gratitude, they helped put together the legendary care packages, make battalion buddy bears for our troops' families, write letters and sort them as well as put the appreciative cards into envelopes.
Piscatella, President of Service Club, first joined the club in her freshman year during the COVID pandemic. She joined in the hopes of making new friends, which she still has today and will be graduating with later this school year.
Piscatella states that her sophomore year was when she became the president.
“The presidents at the time were seniors so when they were graduating, they asked me to take over the club and to be president.”
The service club has volunteered at many organizations as its members increased from 10 to 90 students since its beginning in 2018.
They wrote cards to the Sisters of St. Louis during COVID, painted flower pots as Thanksgiving centerpieces for children transitioning from homelessness to permanent housing through Westwood Transitional Village, participated in Heal the Bay Beach Cleanups and baked Christmas cookies with tea and hot cocoa while playing board games with the Sisters of St. Louis!
Piscatella feels that she has changed the mentality of the meaning of service. People now see the service club as something fun and as an engaging experience you can participate in with friends and family, not just as a way to fill up the required service hours.
For more information about how to be a part of the service club, please visit Mrs. Shuler in attendance or email the president at mpiscatella24@louismail.org!