Youth Work Together to Make Thanksgiving Their Own

When Rebecca (Becca) Sears returned to the Masonic Children’s Home as a social worker two years ago, she decided to build on an existing program that provided a special Thanksgiving dinner to children residing in the girls’ cottages.

After forming a planning committee comprised of three boys and three girls from different cottages, the youth planned a campus-wide Halloween party, a holiday movie night, a mid-summer bash and a “Friendsgiving” event.

“The kids decided they wanted to include the entire children’s home for the ‘Friendsgiving’ event, instead of only one cottage,” Becca said. “All our cottages are independent, and a lot of the kids go home for Thanksgiving, but this was a way to get them to have dinner together [when they came back].”

Each of the cottages contributed dishes, and there were decorations and assigned table seating to give the event a more formal feel. Some of the youth hail from Liberia and cooked non-traditional Thanksgiving items, such as jollof rice. Other children requested deviled eggs. The children played a holiday bingo game at the end of the night, and then gathered in the gym to hang out and play basketball.

“We have 34 children in our program, and they were all there,” Becca said. “I encouraged the kids to do a lot of the work. It gives them a sense of belonging and self-confidence and teaches them independent living skills and how to work as a team.”

Becca recently began planning activities for the siblings who live together at the children’s home, but don’t always see each other due to being different ages and living in separate cottages.

“We try to get them together as often as possible,” she said. “The kids get to play together and catch up.”

Savannah, 17, a member of the planning committee, said she enjoyed the event and hanging out with the other youth.

“Everyone enjoyed it,” she said. “I think we’ll do it again next year. Being on the committee helped me with my communication skills and team building. We had to learn everyone’s strengths, which will help me with future school projects.”

While 2026 is still wide open in terms of scheduled events, the children have expressed interest in hosting a talent show, an idea that Becca supports.

“We have great programs with a lot of potential,” she said. “It’s a great place to be.”