Ceili Leahy Day of Service
What will your legacy be?
Where is the Ceili Leahy Service Project (CLSP) going with the Day of Service?
The CLSP helps keep Ceili’s legacy alive by organizing and supporting Day of Service events at James Monroe High School (JM) in Fredericksburg, VA, inspiring high school students to volunteer for four hours on a Saturday. Ceili showed us how to lead a life dedicated to service for others, inspiring all who knew her to try to follow her example. Although Ceili is no longer with us physically, we are honored to continue her legacy of service and give back to our community.
Since the fall of 2016, JM students have volunteered for 10 Ceili Leahy Days of Service. The partnership with JM flourished through the fall 2022 Day of Service and has become an important tradition at JM.
In December of 2022, the CLSP began a new partnership with JM. The Career and Technical Education (CTE) Coordinator asked if CLSP could help organize a Day of Service for JM’s Senior Class in the spring of 2023. The organizing team included the CLSP, Fredericksburg City Schools’ CTE Coordinator, Communications Coordinator, a teacher from JM’s English Department, the Director of Family & Community Engagement and Special Initiatives, and students from JM’s Day of Service Planning Committee. This event became the Ceili Leahy Senior Day of Service. It was geared toward service learning, and helped many seniors meet a state graduation requirement. The first Senior Day of Service, held on April 20, 2023, was a huge success!
The success of this new partnership has led CLSP to pivot toward supporting rather than organizing Day of Service events at JM with the CTE Coordinator taking the lead. We see this as an important step toward making the Day of Service a sustainable school program moving into the future.
The second annual Ceili Leahy Senior Day of Service is currently being planned for April 12, 2024, for JM’s Class of 2024. CLSP is also consulting with other local school systems that are interested in establishing their own Days of Service.
Ceili is CLSP’s North Star giving us the WHY for organizing ten Ceili Leahy Day of Service events. And she continues to be WHY for JM’s new Ceili Leahy Senior Day of Service tradition. Ceili’s legacy of activism, generosity, service, and love for community continue to inspire action and service.
“As terrible as cancer is, it really opened my eyes to the goodness in people. It was just the most beautiful thing to see what people can do for each other when they’re inspired.”
-Ceili Leahy, JM Class of 2014
Thankful to ALL the volunteers who showed up to serve for the 2023 Ceili Leahy Senior Day of Service at James Monroe High School (JM) and helped to make our community stronger!
The 2023 Ceili Leahy Senior Day of Service was held on April 20th. Over 150 student volunteers from JM’s Class of 2023 completed 10 projects in the City of Fredericksburg! All the thanks goes to the student volunteers, adult volunteers from Fredericksburg City Public Schools and the community, the partner organizations they served, and to individual and business event sponsors. April 20th was such an impactful day of service in the City of Fredericksburg!
Consider making today and every day a DAY OF SERVICE!
Day of Service
Each year we work with James Monroe High School to support Day of Service events. We help inspire, recruit and send volunteers to local nonprofit organizations that share Ceili’s values and purpose. For many, the Ceili Leahy Day of Service is the ‘spark’ to volunteerism, and for others it is another opportunity to do great things in their community.
Day of Service Inspirational Speakers
For each Day of Service, it has been a tradition to invite inspirational speakers to say a few words once all the volunteers have arrived at the meeting place and are preparing to serve. Through their spoken words the inspirational speakers reaffirm WHY the volunteers are participating in this event, give them the motivation to do their best, and launch the volunteers out to the various service projects that morning.
Our local News Director and Radio host, Ted Schubel, created a video of the 2022 Ceili Leahy Day of Service inspirational speakers. While each speaker brought their own messaging to the volunteers, it was a beautiful coincidence that each talked about the importance of showing up.
In the fall of 2022 Ted created a video of inspirational speakers over the years — here is the link to the video clip titled, “The Ceili Leahy Day of Service is this Saturday in Fredericksburg: It’s all about giving back.” https://youtu.be/F81A9mxC3-M.
Ms. Tammy Clark, Health/Physical Education Teacher, Certified Athletic Trainer, and Giving Tree Coordinator at JM, was the 2021 Ceili Leahy Day of Service inspirational speaker. Listen to her speech at the following link: https://youtu.be/Bx08ymKM1Q8. We are so thankful Ms. Clark could help inspire and motivate our volunteers to make a difference in the community on 9/11.
Whom we serve
We serve nonprofit organizations whose missions are consistent with Ceili’s values and passions, which included human rights and justice, the environment, and global sustainability. We also serve nonprofit organizations that provide help to families dealing with pediatric cancer and grief.
Organizations our volunteers have served so far include:
If you know of a Fredericksburg nonprofit organization that could use volunteer support, let us know by sending an email to TheCLServiceProject@gmail.
Our sponsors
Thank you to all our sponsors, past and present, for supporting Ceili Leahy Day of Service events.
- Suzy Stone Century21 Redwood
- J. Brian’s Tap Room
- White Oak Animal Hospital
- Fredericksburg Ballet Centre
- Blackhawk Homes, LLC
- Rappahannock Development Group
- Coleman Motor Company, Inc.
- Bartlett Tree Experts
- Meadows Farms
- Arbor Care: Complete Tree Service, LLC
- Sally Harman FIELD Design, LLC
- Black Knight Technology, Inc.
Donations from sponsors cover the cost of supplies for service projects, refreshments for volunteers, and “Ceili Leahy Day of Service” tee shirts for volunteers—a visible reminder of Ceili’s passion for volunteerism and our commitment to community service.
To become a sponsor for a future Day of Service event or learn more about sponsorship, please email TheCLServiceProject@gmail.com or call Leslie Leahy (President) at (540)645-8512.
