The weather may be frigid, but the spirit of generosity at KHS remains warm and inviting. Although the holidays are a main focus during this time of year, KHS is kicking off the winter season with numerous fundraisers to support those in need. 

Clubs such as Animal Activist, Give Back Club, and the National English Honor Society have big holiday fundraisers to spread their clubs’ missions and to give back to the community. Members of the respective clubs put in a great amount of hard work to prepare for these fundraisers.

The Give Back Club often makes appearances at community events and fundraisers. President Jacki Lally says, “Members help spread awareness by sending messages to local organizations, passing out flyers, creating social media posts, and helping organize, count, and sort items during meetings.”

The Give Back Club partners with the organization Shelter Our Soldiers to assemble care packages for homeless veterans. They collect donations of personal care items, and they raise money to go towards donations. Vice President Samantha Ferretti said, “We use the money to buy items that we didn’t get; for example, if we didn’t get a lot of socks, we use that money to buy socks.”

The Animal Activist Club is also organizing fundraisers and opportunities to spread the word for their club. The club holds a holiday fundraiser to collect money for local animal shelters. 

Members of the club raise money by selling Pura Vida and Fahlo bracelets. Pu

ra Vida bracelets are friendship bracelets made out of colorful, waterproof string. Fahlo bracelets allow users to track a real animal of their choice using a 3D map. Additionally, Fahlo has donated over 4.5 million dollars to conservation efforts. 

The club has been successful in the past in selling both kinds of bracelets. 

The Animal Activist Club adds the money they make to an account and donates their earnings at the end of the year to the Kinnelon Animal Shelter. Club advisor Maria Fiuza said, “The money goes into the Animal Activist account, and then we request the checks to give as donations at the end of the school year. The shelters are always very happy with our donations. We are proud that we can help our little animals.”

Another group holding a fundraiser this winter is the National English Honor Society. The honor society’s fundraiser is called Books for Tots, which is dedicated to helping children in need. President Jesse Dazo says, “Toys for Tots is a charity that donates books to children during the holiday season. This event is to enhance the literacy of kids who are not able to afford books.”

As president of NEHS, Dazo is responsible for organizing new fundraisers to improve literacy skills in the Kinnelon community. Dazo said, “​​My goal as president of the National English Honor Society is to be able to create more fundraisers and help host interesting events. Hopefully, Books For Tots becomes an annual event for NEHS.”