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19/05/2022
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By JACQUELYN MOOREHEAD May 19, 2022
Miss Rhode Island Woman of Service Rachel Terceira picks up donations from Scituate High School students
Miss Rhode Island Woman of Service Rachel Terceira picks up donations from Scituate High School National Honor Society students who collected items for foster children for two weeks.
SCITUATE – Scituate graduate and Miss Rhode Island Woman of Service 2022 Rachel Terceira returned to Scituate High School on Monday to gather up hundreds of items collected by her and the National Honor Society for foster children of Rhode Island.
Terceira, of the Class of 2016, said part of the reason she competed to be Miss Rhode Island Woman of Service is because of the sense of joy she received when involved in SHS’s Charity Club.
She said Miss RI Woman of Service is not a scholarship pageant, such as Miss Rhode Island, and said after graduating, she no longer needed a scholarship. Instead, she wanted a title that helped her give back and encouraged others to do so as well.
Terceira recently graduated from Rhode Island College with a pair of degrees in youth development and theater.
“I love serving my community,” she said.
Terceira partnered up with Adoption RI to start Bags of Hope, a drive for donations as SHS and SMS to bring backpacks, toys and hygiene products to children in the foster care system in Rhode Island.
She said that many children placed in foster care situations are given little to no time to back up their belongings. Items are often tossed into trash bags, and a child is left with few items of their own.
“There are foster children everywhere, even in this town, or nearby Foster and Smithfield. These items have a huge impact on foster children’s lives,” she said.
Terceira said foster children suffer from embarrassment from carrying around a trash bag.
“A backpack dive for kids is so important to them. It gives them back a sense of identity and pride,” Terceira said.
Terceira thanked SHS English teacher Maggie Stormont and her students for partnering up with her for the drive, and for collecting hundreds of items in two weeks.
“It is important to do what you can to impact your community in a positive way. I’m really, really proud of this. I’m excited to see I left and you guys continue to care so much. I learned that being a Spartan is being in a community that cares about others,” she said.
Looking back, Terceira said her most memorable project in the SHS Charity Club was collecting teddy bears for first responders to distribute to children experiencing an emergency. She said years later, some children still hold on to those teddy bears she and her classmates collected.
“I’d love to do that again,” she said.
SHS Principal Michael Hassell said he loves seeing his students getting involved in the community.
“Part of our job as educators is to provide support and help our students navigate their own ideas so that they can be successful in their future,” he said.
For more information on how to donate, contact Terceira at missriawos22@gmail.com.
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