The Power of Giving Back: GSB’s All-School Day of Service

Gill St. Bernard’s School marked a meaningful milestone with its third annual Day of Gratitude and Service—this year, for the first time, as a true all-school event uniting the entire community.

Students, faculty, staff, parent volunteers, and alumni worked side by side on service projects benefiting 15 local organizations. Across campus and beyond, the day reflected a shared commitment to service, gratitude, and the power of collective impact.

As Kristen Armstrong, Community Service and Engagement Coordinator, reflected: “What began three years ago as a small group of students exploring gratitude through a service-learning Spring Unit has grown into something truly special. It’s been incredible to see that initial spark evolve, through the Grateful 4 Club and so many meaningful service initiatives, into a day that now brings together students from Preschool through Grade 12. Seeing this year’s Day of Gratitude and Service become a true all-school movement is incredibly rewarding, and a powerful reflection of our shared commitment to giving back.”

A highlight of the day was the opportunity to hear from alumni speakers Paul Mulcahy '19 and Hayley Armstrong '21, who spoke about the importance of gratitude, community service, and the message to “Give Something Back.” Mulcahy, who founded the Grateful 4 Foundation during his first year at Rutgers University, shared how small acts of kindness can create lasting change.

In support of this mission, the sale of this year’s Day of Gratitude and Service T-shirts served as a fundraiser for the Grateful 4 Foundation. Thanks to the generosity of the GSB community, over $800 was raised and presented to Mulcahy in support of the foundation’s ongoing work.

The Day of Gratitude and Service continues to be a powerful reminder of what can be accomplished when a community comes together with a shared purpose: to serve others and give something back.

Day of Gratitude by the numbers: 

• 500 PBJ lunch bags for Elijah’s promise
• 300 breakfast bags for Nourish.NJ and El Centro
• 600 toiletry kits for Peapack Gladstone Food Pantry and Homeless Solutions
• 50+ dog toys for St. Hubert’s
• 200 kindness rocks for Overlook Hospital
• 25 lasagnas for Peapack Gladstone Food Pantry
• 150 friendship bracelets for Confetti Foundation
• 20 handmade cards for Cardz for Kidz
• 84 letters for A Million Thanks
• 100 Mother’s Day cards for a shelter
• 100 cards for senior citizens
• 15 birthday banners for Confetti Foundation
• 250 utensil bundles for Elijah’s Promise
• 50 kindness rocks for around campus (some bedazzled!)
• 70 students helping Farmer Ned in the garden
• 25 students working and planting in the Mershon Tranquility Garden
• 15 blankets for Project Linus
• Coloring for Color a Smile
• Hundreds of bulbs planted around the Cox building
• Dozens of first night bags packed