Catholic high school students volunteer to help others during holiday season
In the spirit of real charity, Catholic high school students around the diocese have been busy making sure that people in need enjoy a happier holiday season.
Students at St. Teresa High School in Decatur start working to help others at the very beginning of the academic year, says Karla Miller, advancement director. "Each month we have a Jeans-4-Quarters day. The students can wear jeans if they donate a dollar to a special charity each month. Our donations are typically around $300 each month."
In November, a group of St. Teresa volunteers helped out at the Judy Mason Thanksgiving Basket Project in Decatur. "The entire community comes out to help box up 4,000 boxes of food for people in Macon County," she says. "The project is based on the miracle of Jesus when he fed the 5,000 on a few pieces of bread and fish."
St. Teresa is also a drop-off point for Coats for Kids. "I am personally having a contest between my four classes for the largest number of coats donated," Miller says. "The class with the most coats donated gets homemade cookies. We don't necessarily need a contest but it helps them to remember to bring in the coats and it's fun."
On Dec. 3, a large group of students have volunteered to help the Salvation Army by ringing bells at the red kettle locations. "We will be at the North Wal-Mart all day," Miller says. "We will rotate every two hours with at least two students during each session."
Also in December the Jeans-4-Quarters contributions will help St. Teresa fund the Catholic Charities Angel Tree. "For the Angel Tree, we will choose several boys and girls names and the Servium Club members will shop for them with the money the school has raised," Miller says.
At Quincy Notre Dame High School, the Key Club has several activities planned for the holiday season, says Mary Pat Vahlkamp, director of enrollment management and marketing. "QND Key Club has 26 active members," says Vahlkamp. "Traditionally, our members ring bells for the Salvation Army on their first day of Christmas vacation, which is Dec. 21.
"This year we've added shopping for an 'angel' off the Angel Tree and participating with our sponsor, the Noon Kiwanis Club, to help with a family for the Good News of Christmas Program in Quincy. Our club members will also help at the distribution center for the Good News of Christmas to get the presents organized for the families. Additionally, the QND cheerleaders just recently completed a food drive for the holidays."
Students at Sacred Heart-Griffin led up to Thanksgiving by holding a fundraiser called "Change for Change" that gave students the opportunity to help Catholic school children in Nairobi, Kenya. The collection will help children at Our Lady of Nazareth School in Kenya.
As Key Club moderator for SHG, Dan Wilson believes in living up to one of his favorite quotes from St. Francis of Assisi: "Preach always and sometimes use words."
He asked students to keep that quote in mind during November as the SHG Key Club spearheaded their annual Thanksgiving food collection for Catholic Charities.
Students throughout the school were asked to bring in canned goods and non-perishable items to fill food baskets. This year Key Club also sponsored a fund-raiser dodgeball tournament in conjunction with the food drive.
"We filled 140 baskets from the SHG school and community," says Wilson. "The kids work so hard. They collected all this food and then on Friday afternoon we had a half-day and kids worked getting the food together at the school.
"On Saturday we had kids moving the food from SHG to the pick-up spot at St. Cabrini Parish. Then on Monday, we had 17 kids, both boys and girls from freshmen up to seniors, filling the baskets and helping to distribute them.
"This is my fifth year leading this and I am always happy with what they do," Wilson says. "Look at them. They are all ages. There is even one girl there with her arm all broken up and in a sling, working away. I am so proud of these kids."