Donating money, clothes, and gifts are all important ways to help our community during the holidays. School groups and outside organizations both try to lead the way in helping those in need. Every year StuCo does an Adopt-a-Family fundraiser where they collect money to give back to the Adopt-a-Family organization. This year, StuCo adopted two families to support this holiday season.

Senior Lauren Walker, a member of the committee in charge of the event, shares more details about what StuCo is doing to help. Walker said this is something StuCo has done for several years, and will continue to be a tradition.

“We’ve done this for the past three years. It’s kind of a tradition and this year we are adopting two families from the Adopt-a-Family organization,” Walker said. “Our goal right now is to raise $1,000.”

Freshman StuCo member Kenzie Johnson helped collect money for StuCo and thinks that since the donations are student collected, it makes it more student-oriented.

“I also think if we have students do- ing it, then it kind of makes other students want to do it. It kind of makes it more relatable,” Johnson said.

Walker is thankful for the privilege her community has and the opportunities that they are given.

“I think that our community has a lot of privilege and we don’t necessarily see what’s outside of it. So, it’s important that we give back what we have because we’re so fortunate to go to such a great school, in a good community,” Walker said. “I think that this is just a small way we can make
an impact on two families during this holiday season.”

Along with StuCo, Youth for Refugees is supporting the community this holiday season. Youth for Refugees is a club established at school which helps people who are refugees or in an asylum seeking situation within our area.

In the morning before school, the club ran a clothing drive and collected donations to provide clothing for children in need.

Sophomore Anna Zwahlen, a member of the Youth for Refugees club, said that Youth for Refugees is donating to Kansas City International Academy, which is a kindergarten through eighth grade school that helps specifically refugees and asylum seekers.

A member of Youth for Refugees, sophomore Gwen Heideman, knows the importance of giving back.

“I think it’s important to help out in our community any way that we can,” Heideman said.