SALTT or Service and Leadership Today and Tomorrow is an extremely popular club here at ILS. It was established by Lucia De La Guardia and is currently led by the one and only, Mr. Tim Gamwell.
“ I joined SALTT because I had heard a lot of good things about it. I have made lots of new friends thanks to it,” said junior Paloma Rosalina.
Lucia De La Guardia is Social Studies teacher Ms. Maria De La Guardia’s niece. She was working at Escuelita Maya and was inspired its founder, Father Frank O’ Loughlin. She wanted to share his inspiring work with her community. This led to the creation of the club in 2001.
Mr. Gamwell was a SALTT member during his junior year here at ILS. He enjoyed working with the children and building life- long relationships. Many kids he met while he was in high school are now leaders in their community. SALTT served as their inspiration to focus their careers on serving others.
A big part of the club for Mr. Gamwell as moderator is focusing on the faith and leadership formation of ILS students.
The club focuses on serving children at the Escuelita Maya in Lake Worth, Florida. These children have migrated from Guatemala. Their parents are impoverished and undocumented farm workers.
Escuelita Maya helps these refugee families through education, advocacy, and integration into U.S. culture while maintaining their Mayan roots.
Students have the opportunity to mentor these young children by participating in field trips, donating, or even volunteering at a summer camp which affords all an enriching experience.
These field trips are extra special because not only are ILS students helping kids, they are also able to bond with them. Students get to play games, draw, sing, dance, and so much more. By going on just one field trip, ILS students will have an everlasting impact.
“I still remember my first SALTT field trip. I made so many unforgettable memories trick or treating with the kids,” said junior Ava Von Teuber.
Donations also aid in enriching the lives of the kids. One of the many ways ILS can help them is through the the Angel Tree Toy Drive. Students pick out a paper angel from a Christmas tree. These paper angels have a child’s name, age, and Christmas list. Students use the list to buy their assigned child a toy.
“I had so much fun buying my assigned child her toys for Christmas, I felt like I was making an impact in my community,” said sophomore Mia Groom
This is a very exciting new holiday for the migrant children. Christmas is not typically part of their culture, and is also very hard to celebrate due to economic difficulties.
A final more longlasting opportunity is through the SALTT summer camp. This is an experience that most ILS students look forward to where they participate at the Escuelita Maya for one week. There they get to play games, sports, and go on field trips. Though only a week, the memories participants make there last a lifetime.
