The Brave News

by Ryan Tavera

St John Bosco’s Season of Benevolenza highlights the importance of giving from ourselves to others especially in the time of solidarity and confusion the event calls out to our Bosco Braves in order to contribute to our community. 

The Season of Benevolenza has always been a staple event in St John Bosco High School’s history, as it marks our time to give back to the larger community and make an impact in other’s lives. The specific drives that Bosco does annually are the Food Drive and Toy drive. 

“Giving is always important but recognizing that there are particular times of the year we should focus on these things and around Thanksgiving and Christmas it represents a good opportunity and recognizing that it’s really about giving. It’s giving of ourselves to other people like our family and to our larger community,” said Christian Service Coordinator John Weinandy. 

During these hard times, it is stressed as a student body and religious institute that we exercise compassion and a helping hand to others who are apart of our community, as the Season of Benevolenza acts as a beacon of strength and unity and to inspire others to help one another. 

More importantly, it is necessary that we recognize the gifts we are blessed with when considering giving to others, we should take these gifts and count our blessings in order to contribute to something bigger than ourselves.  

“I think it’s our way of reaching out to the larger community and give the gifts that we have to other people, there’s a lot of gifts that Bosco students have talent, a lot of abilities but being able to give of themselves and paying attention to other people,” said Mr.Weinandy 

Despite our unfortunate circumstances due to Covid-19 and the seemingly never-ending quarantine that students, parents, and faculty members alike have felt over the past several months, it has not discouraged our student body one bit, as it only pressures them to devise more creative ways for students to interact with the events. 

“It’s just calling us to be a little more creative in our outreach to get students involved. We still have drop boxes at school and in the lobby, in case students want to donate we know it’s tougher but were doing the best we can,” said Mr. Weinandy. 

The Season of Benevolenza signifies the sense of unity and brotherhood among the student body. Bosco has always been committed to this idea of togetherness and Covid-19 is our community’s biggest test. Donation boxes will still be available throughout the school so that students will still be able to make contributions that will impact the City of Bellflower 

“I really want the Bosco community to see the impact that they can have I want to make it more visible so that they can know the impact they’re having on others despite online learning,” said Mr. Weinandy. 

No matter the size of the contribution or what item you choose to give, all donations are equally important and have an impact on the City of Bellflower, all donations are greatly appreciated.

As a brotherhood and community, we must come together and give not because we are convinced to, rather because we believe in our school’s mission and perseverance as a whole. 

“We have realized that we are in the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented, but at the same time important and needed, all of us called to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other,” said Pope Francis.  

In the tough times 2020 has brought upon the world, those words ring true for many, and are words to reflect on as the Season of Benevolenza commences.