Students Give Back To Community During Holidays

by Michelle Schlueter, Ryan Daly & Taylor Holzer
12.20.07

To help lift holiday spirits around town, students spent their time wrapping gifts, ringing bells and donating food and clothing. Many of those students are involved with Student Council, Key Club and Leo Club, which sponsor these activities.

On Nov. 30, students volunteered by helping count and weigh food from the canned food drive sponsored by the Key and Leo clubs. Nearly 600 pounds were collected from the first floor alone. Altogether, over 1,000 pounds were collected. Students could bring in any non-perishable food items along with household necessities like laundry detergent and tissues. All of the items donated went to the Omaha Food Bank.      The food drive started on Nov. 12 and ran through the end of November.

Third period classes had a competition for who could collect the most cans. Journalism teacher Ami Carper Adler’s class won the competition with almost 400 pounds. They will receive breakfast from Panera Bread as a reward for their efforts.

Key Club, one of the clubs involved in the drive, is a volunteer organization. They do most of their work with children, like Halloween Safe Night in October, but also do other things.

“The officers and I try to find places missed over,” Key Club sponsor Megan Peetz said.

For example, the club raises money for Mission for All Nations. For the holidays, the club is trying to see if they can adopt a family and donate gift cards for gas and cold winter items.

Many students and teachers feel that holiday volunteering is helpful, not only for the community, but for themselves and their peers as well.

“I think it makes them more well-rounded,” Peetz said. “Sometimes kids forget about the people less fortunate.”

Many students enjoy volunteering because it makes them feel better about themselves.

“When I go and volunteer, whether its collecting canned foods or bell ringing, it makes me feel really good,” sophomore Kim Mueller said. “Like I’m giving back to the community.”

Over the holidays, Mueller also participates in Operation Christmas Child, which sends a shoebox of toys overseas, with her church.

Other students enjoy holiday volunteering because it spreads holiday cheer.

“It gives you something to do,” sophomore Krysta Douskey said. “If you help others, it rubs off on them and makes them want to help others too.”

Besides the canned food drive, other holiday volunteering around the school includes gift-wrapping and bell ringing with Student Council and a coat drive and a letter-writing drive to soldiers, both of which are sponsored by Leo Club.

“It makes you feel like you accomplished something,” Douskey said.

photo by Paige Stone