St. Mary’s Academy (SMA) students were lauded this year at the Friendly House Annual Awards for their “huge impact” on the non-profit organization’s staff and clients in its Friendly Chaps program. The Friendly Chaps program and its companion, Summer Chaps, offers school-aged childcare for 90 + kids from Chapman Elementary School, providing social, educational, recreational and enrichment activities. Summer brings a fun-filled, stimulating, focused day camp for children all over Portland.
As announced at the awards, “Several SMA girls dedicated their time, intelligence and creativity to mentoring children after school and during Summer Chaps. They cleaned play areas and toys, and decorated collection boxes for Back to School Bank. Their caring, thoughtful attitudes were as remarkable as the work they performed.”
Brianna Woodside-Gomez, a junior at SMA, received the award for the school and it is proudly displayed among the other honors – athletic, scholastic, and service-oriented – that the school has won.
“We are so proud of our young women and the continual volunteer spirit that exists at St. Mary’s,” says Patricia Barr, Principal of St. Mary’s Academy. “Our students understand that their education goes beyond the books, to provide a culture of well-rounded learning.”
Friendly House, Inc. was founded in 1930 as a settlement house to help people build their lives. Since that time, Friendly House has consistently delivered needed services to neighborhood residents, enriching the quality of life for the whole community. In its eighth decade of service, Friendly House offers activities, programs and services for people of all ages and walks of life. With a neighbor-helping-neighbor approach, Friendly House’s six programs serve over 20,000 people every year, from birth to old age. Its programs help people build skills, realize their potential and contribute to the vitality of Portland.
Founded in 1859 by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, St. Mary’s Academy of Portland, is Oregon’s oldest continuously operating secondary school and one of 716 all-female schools in the country. The student body represents a diverse background of young women from over 30 urban, suburban, and rural communities in Oregon and Southwest Washington. St. Mary’s Academy is distinguished by its development of the whole person, and is the only school in the state to receive three U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon Schools awards.
