Organized By: Mrs. Drexler, 1st Grade

This summer, Crieve Hall Elementary families came together for our inaugural Cardinals Serve Volunteer Camp, three days dedicated to serving others, building community, and showing what it means to be a Cardinal. Faculty, students, and their families rolled up their sleeves and made a meaningful impact through hands-on service projects across Nashville. Throughout the week, our Cardinals demonstrated kindness, compassion, and teamwork while learning that even small acts of service can make a big difference!

Day 1: American House Senior Living

Our camp kicked off with a visit to American House Senior Living located near Crieve Hall, where we spent the morning connecting with residents while decorating cupcakes, making friendship bracelets, reading stories together, and having quiet conversations.

The smiles and laughs shared between generations reminded us all of the importance of spending time with others and building meaningful relationships within our community. We felt an immediate bond to our new friends and promised to return soon. Plans are already in the works for our next visit!

Highlight : Some of our youth realized that many residents do not come out of their rooms, so they asked if cupcakes could be made for them and delivered. With the help of a director, they visited several residents in their rooms.

As we left, several residents told us we had made their day and looked forward to us coming back!

Day 2: The Catio Cat Lounge Adoption Center

On day two, volunteers visited the beautifully and newly renovated Catio Cat Lounge, a local non-profit cat rescue, to help care for adoptable cats. Families spent time socializing with the cats, reading stories to their feline friends, and donated approximately $250 worth of much-needed items from the shelter's wish list.

We fell in love with the nearly 60 cats and kittens looking for a loving home. Students learned that caring for animals is another important way we can serve our community.

It was extremely difficult to leave with empty arms. Mrs. Drexler has personally adopted two adorable lifelong friends from The Catio and encourages our families to drop by the rescue sometime when they are ready for a new family member!

Day 3: Acts of Kindness Crafts

The final day brought everyone back to Crieve Hall Elementary for our Acts of Kindness Crafts event. Families rotated through creative stations making items that will brighten the lives of others in our community. We painted kindness rocks, decorated affirmation sticky notes, and stuffed goody bags for our local firefighters and EMTs. The families were then encouraged to take the rocks and sticky notes into the community to leave in places where someone might find them to brighten their day. As an exciting bonus, we then drove together to our local fire station to drop off the goody bags and were treated to an impromptu visit with the firefighters. Students got to explore the fire truck, try on the uniforms, and talk directly with our local heroes. It was an exciting end to a wonderful day.

Thank You!

A huge thank you to our incredible volunteers, families, community partners, and school staff who made our very first Cardinals Serve Volunteer Camp such a success. We are especially grateful to American House Senior Living, The Catio Cat Lounge, Nashville Fire Department Station 27, and everyone who donated supplies and their time. Together, we showed that Cardinals don't just learn—we serve.

P.S. A bunch of kitties we fell in love with and highly recommend you make part of your family: