At Edge, we believe that SERVICE is a cornerstone to a caring community. The time and effort that you put into helping people around you can change your life too! From learning about our community, connecting with people in need, developing skills that can translate to job opportunities, and just having fun and making friends – volunteering benefits everyone.
Each November, Edge High School students sign up for a special opportunity to leave our campuses and give back to our community. “Day of Service” pairs students with local nonprofits to volunteer their time and learn a little about what services are offered in our community. Attendance is optional, but most Edge students find a way to take a break from their individualized lesson plans to step out and try something new.
This year we partnered with several local nonprofit organizations to host 75 students from our Himmel Park campus and 45 students from our Northwest campus for a day. These unique opportunities help students experience our community from a new perspective, and the results can be life changing!
This working farm is a seed-to-table program designed to reconnect young people to a healthy food system, teach them how to grow and prepare fresh food, and empower them to make healthy life choices. TVF is located in the middle of Tucson, and has been a popular site for our “Day of Service” work for the past several years. Edge students spent the day engaged in farm tasks – including weeding – on a really hot day, without complaint. Thank you to Alex Atkin, Farm Manager, for hosting us!
This local farm donates 100% of their eggs and vegetables to organizations serving area families and individuals struggling with food insecurity. Edge students participated in farm chores and learned about compost management and organic farming practices. Thank you to Cathy Lolwing for hosting our students! You are an innate teacher!
We Care restores electronics like computers, monitors, cell phones and medical equipment and provides them to low income families. Edge students learned about the work that We Care does including collecting donations, sorting to refurbish and recycle, and helping to keep discarded devices out of our local landfills. We got hands-on experience helping with this process – thank you MeMe Aguila and Hammer Coleman for leading our students!
We have been successfully partnering with this agency since 2016, including hosting refugees from Sudan and other countries at our tuition-free charter high school. Iskashitaa offers opportunities for refugees to locate, harvest, and re-distribute local produce which would otherwise go to waste. We spent the day working alongside these refugees and learning about our local food system and what we can do to reduce food waste. Thanks Barbara Eiswerth for coordinating this opportunity!
Gap has been a partner with us since 2017. They offer a variety of services in the Tucson area, including group homes for children and teens. Over the years, a lot of teens living in Gap homes have enrolled as Edge students, and it’s a great experience to volunteer and give back to this agency every year. This year we worked on a landscaping project in partnership with Lowe’s. In the past we’ve worked on food prep and storage and other projects that directly impact Gap residents. The Gap staff enjoy working with Edge students and are always in need of volunteers, so reach out if you have a little extra time! Thank you Christie Voss for hosting students and staff!
SAAVI Services for the Blind is a blindness rehabilitation training center providing nonvisual techniques to people of all ages. An ex Edge staff member – and new Edge Board member – Reggie Laister works at SAAVI as their Business Development Manager. Reggie helped Edge students learn about SAAVI’s programs and introduced ways to help the visually impaired around town. Thank you for inspiring us, Reggie!
Edge High School is grounded on the value of giving back in service. If you are ready to experience success in a community who cares about you, find out more and enroll today!
About Edge
EDGE is a Cognia accredited, tuition-free, charter high school, with two campuses in the greater Tucson area. We provide an alternative to traditional education, meeting the diverse learning and life needs of our students with our blended curriculum and flexible morning or afternoon class schedules. Our high-quality, passionate teachers are dedicated to individualized instruction in our small academic classes. Be you. With us. At Edge.