Umuganda Day

We come together for good

Calhoun Umuganda Day of Service is an annual event sponsored by the Parents Association, Parents/Guardians of Students of Color Affinity Group, Debbie Aronson, Director of Community Service Learning and Students in Action Club. “Umuganda” means “We come together for good,” in the language of Rwanda, where every month, the entire country spends a Saturday morning working on their community.

In its inaugural year, students and families met at 81st Street to pick up litter around Calhoun, then gathered for snacks and an opportunity to clean up ‘interpersonal litter,’ a short meditation on improving relationships. In 2020 participants wrote letters with the organization Love for Our Elders that sends mail to older adults who may be lonely. In 2021 the group did a Pieces for Peace workshop from the CITYarts organization, where students and adults made a piece of art and submitted it to a digital gallery.