Pioneer Elementary Students "Take Back the Day" with Acts of Service

Sep 11 2025

Each year, Pioneer Elementary honors the September 11 National Day of Service by teaching students how acts of kindness can bring communities together. This year’s campus-wide project offered every student an opportunity to “Take Back the Day” by serving others in meaningful ways.

With the support of The Soap Gal, a local soap manufacturer and wholesaler, Pioneer received 2,200 pounds of slightly damaged but perfectly usable soap. Students transformed the multi-purpose room into a full-scale service line - labeling, packaging, and boxing more than 7,000 bars of soap for families and individuals in need.

The donations reached communities across Arizona. Soap was delivered to 13 nonprofit organizations, including groups serving families in Tuba City, residents along the southern Arizona border, and people in Globe recovering from recent flooding. Several East Valley organizations also received boxes to support local families. A few Pioneer students even extended their service beyond the school day, choosing to give soap, water, and granola bars to people they saw in need near their homes.

The project united the Pioneer community as well. Four employees from Fat Cats volunteered 12 hours to help prepare the soap, while 10 additional community members - including retired professionals, parents, grandparents, and PTSO members - donated 48 volunteer hours. Teachers, staff, and administrators coordinated the effort to ensure every student, including those with limited mobility, could fully participate. The owners and production manager from The Soap Gal visited campus to see the project in action.

“Through service, we can bring this day back. 9/11 is a day of remembrance, and we can bring people together to provide services to others,” said Ruthanne Vanwagoner, a Reading Specialist at Pioneer. “It’s important that we all learn to serve and look for opportunities to serve others.”

Pioneer Elementary may be small, but its impact is mighty - and this year’s Day of Service reflects the heart, unity, and compassion that define the school community.

A crowded school cafeteria with numerous students and staff members, along with several bags of what appear to be food or supplies on the floor in the foreground.

Students engaged in various activities to package soap

A crowded classroom filled with students of various ages engaged in various activities, with desks and supplies visible in the foreground.

A group of people, wearing red shirts, are gathered around a table sorting through various items in a cardboard box.

A group of young people, likely students, are gathered around a table sorting and organizing various items, possibly for a school project or activity.