Flowers donated to local nursing homes through combined effort of SWCC and Creston Elementary

Plant Kindness and Spread It grew in a new direction this year during Southwestern Community College's (SWCC's) annual Pay it Forward (PIF) Week, held April 22-27, 2024!

Through a collaboration with Creston Elementary School, flower pots were decorated and planted, then delivered to a number of nursing homes in SWCC's region for residents to enjoy. The project started nearly two weeks ago, when the terracotta pots were delivered from SWCC to the elementary school. Creston fourth graders then decorated the pots during art class. The finished pots, which included creative and meaningful artwork by the fourth-grade students, were then returned to SWCC. On Tuesday, April 23, as a part of PIF Week, SWCC students planted the pots with annuals. The pots were then delivered to the elderly.

PIF Week has been held annually at SWCC since 2009. During PIF Week, SWCC students, faculty, and staff get involved by encouraging positive behaviors and service to the community. The hope is that these efforts will ripple and spread. For more information, please visit www.swcciowa.edu/pif or follow the SWCC Pay it Forward page on Facebook.

Pictured above: Front row (L to R) - Tegan Streit of Mount Ayr, SWCC student; Jacob Cook, Stoic Thu, Paisley Goodenburger, and Adeline Austin, Creston fourth graders; and Jake Baudler, Creston Elementary school employee and SWCC graduate. Back row - Casey Tanner, Creston Elementary School principal, and Noah Johnson of New Market, SWCC student.