Columbus All Saints Academy (ASA) students who are part of the House of St. Josephine Bakhita — one of six houses in the school’s newly formed house system — spent the year focused on serving families experiencing homelessness in Columbus.
Named after St. Josephine Bakhita, a former slave who became a symbol of hope and resilience, Bakhita House wanted to focus on a service project that promoted dignity, justice and compassion. The blanket initiative is one of many ways the group seeks to live out those values.
The service project spanned the entire school year, with each academic quarter focused on one part of the project. After some research and discussion, Bakhita House decided to create blankets for the YWCA Family Center, which provides emergency housing and support services for women and children escaping domestic violence and homelessness.
The second quarter was focused on getting people in the school and parish communities engaged in this project.
“We needed a fundraiser that was going to get everyone excited to help these families,” said Kelly Baldasare, one of the House leaders.
The students in Bakhita decided that an event where ASA students could silly-string or pie a teacher would be both fun and successful. Bakhita House students spent their weekly meetings discussing pricing, making flyers and visiting classes to promote and sell tickets for the event.
By the third quarter, the school was electric with discussions of who would get silly-stringed, how many pies teachers would take to the face and how the money was going to be used. On the day of the event, students erupted into cheers as they watched more than 18 staff members get covered in silly string and whipped cream.
Bakhita House raised more than $500 for their service project.
The project rounded out with students making no-sew fleece blankets for the families at the YWCA Family Center. Parishioners from Christ the King also donated materials and pre-made blankets. By the end of the school year, the students had made more than 70 blankets.
Before the blankets were donated, the House had them blessed by Father Stephen Fernandes, OFM Cap., pastor of Columbus Christ the King and St. Thomas the Apostle parishes.
“It was important to the entire House that these blankets were not just physical blessings but also served as spiritual blessings and reminders of the prayers that Bakhita House had offered for the families,” co-leader Cassie Kasberg explained.
The efforts of Bakhita House at All Saints Academy exemplify the power of faith-driven service and the impact that young people can have when guided by compassion and purpose. From thoughtful planning to spirited fundraising and heartfelt creation of the blankets, the students embraced their mission to support homeless families with unwavering dedication.
Their work not only provided warmth and comfort through the donation of more than 70 handmade blankets but also brought the school and parish communities together in solidarity. As they followed in the footsteps of their house’s namesake, St. Josephine Bakhita, these students served as a reminder that service grounded in love and dignity has the power to transform lives, both for those who give and those who receive.