As part of a yearlong collaboration on projects that benefit the urban community in which they live, the students and families of St. Paul’s Episcopal School and the parishioners of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church are partnering to clean Lake Merritt on Saturday, March 24, 2007. The project will begin with a bagel breakfast at the School at 10:00 a.m. Shortly thereafter, the participants will don gloves and wading boots, gather nets, and head across the street to the Lake to begin to remove items that pollute our Lake and threaten the wildlife.

“This is an exciting event that connects school families with church families,” says The Rev. Susan Allison-Hatch, Associate Pastor at St. Paul’s Church and School Chaplain. “Although the St. Paul’s School is not a program of the Church, we continue to develop a relationship and partnership that benefits both groups and the community.”

Already this year, the School and Church have partnered in a non-perishable food drive and to provide holiday gifts to clients served by Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), an Alameda County organization that serves homeless and transitioning families and individuals.

“St. Paul’s School is honored to be able to collaborate with St. Paul’s Church,” adds Love Weinstock, Director of Service Learning at the School. “Service Learning is an essential component of our rich academic curriculum and further reflects the School’s dedication to being a good citizen for our community. That we have the opportunity to do so with our friends from St. Paul’s Church is an added benefit.”

For more information, contact Love Weinstock or Rev. Susan Allison-Hatch.