A day filled with lots of fun and friendly competition rooted in the love for others. On Tuesday, November 18, quiet hallways transformed into a high-energy relay route for the school’s second annual Can Crawl, an event that blends friendly competition with the school’s mission of service. What began two years ago as a creative Student Council initiative has quickly become one of the school’s most uplifting traditions.
To support Thanksgiving Outreach initiatives, Can Crawl brings together hundreds of students to assemble Thanksgiving Meal Boxes for families in need. Each grade receives 30 minutes to build as many complete and tidy boxes as possible, following a specific course through the first floors of the Grotto and Bernadette Buildings. Teams are divided into station helpers, who fill boxes with assigned items, and runners, who maneuver carts through the route to collect each required ingredient from station helpers.
The relay-style races had freshmen competing against sophomores and juniors racing against seniors, all while the rest of the school gathered in the Grotto field or watched live in the classroom on the broadcasting channel, OLLA TV.
“My favorite part of Can Crawl is the unity among the grades when we come together for friendly competition. I was very happy to help provide food for families, especially during Thanksgiving,” Junior Alexis Gimenez said.
This year, Lourdes students created a grand total of 356 Thanksgiving boxes, which will support 800 families across Miami, including those served by the Missionaries of Charity, San Juan Bosco, and St. Michael’s Catholic Church. The juniors took first place with 95 boxes, followed closely by the seniors with 88. Freshmen placed third with 87, and sophomores finished with 86 assembled boxes.
These items come together to form a full Thanksgiving meal for families who might otherwise go without during the holiday season.
“My favorite part of the event was running and at the end seeing all the boxes my grade was able to package. It made me grateful for everything I have,” ”freshman Elisa Alireza said.
Beyond the numbers, Can Crawl continues to reflect the heart of the Lourdes community: students moving with purpose, lifting each other up, and channeling their energy into something bigger than themselves.
