The Give Back Club, National English Honor Society, and Science National Honors Society have one common goal this holiday season: to give back to the community.
The Give Back Club hosted a Support Our Soldiers drive, which collected products to bring to our veterans. The National English Honors Society created a Books for Tots drive, which provided books for children in need. At the same time, the Science National Honor Society hosted a toy drive for kids during the holidays.
The Give Back Club
The Support Our Soldiers donation drive is just one of the many fundraisers that the Give Back Club holds each year. This fundraiser took place during Block B classes from Nov. 24-26. The students and staff of KHS donated more than 200 items for dedicated soldiers currently residing at the Lyons VA Medical Center. The Give Back Club collected hats, gloves, and other personal items for the veterans. However, this drive is much more than just collecting donations.
“These are people who have dedicated their lives to protecting us. They deserve to feel honored and appreciated,” said Give Back Club adviser Danielle Elia. Every December, the veterans have a winter celebration. At this event, the donations collected by KHS students and staff are distributed as gifts to the veterans.
“The veterans really look forward to this event; most of their lives only revolve around the hospital,” said Elia. Additionally, the Give Back Club provides services such as hairstyling and the use of service dogs to ensure that the veterans feel comfortable and provided for.
“A lot of veterans being at the hospital do not have a lot of extra money to buy things they need and enjoy. We do our best to provide this for them,” said Elia. Prior to the pandemic, the Give Back Club hand-delivered the gifts to the veterans. Although this may not be the case anymore, the Club is still able to create a sense of security and love through this drive.
National Science Honors Society
This winter, the National Science Honors Society hosted a toy drive, where the KHS staff and students of clubs such as HOSA and Cancer Awareness Club gave back to children in need. Students and staff donated toys for all ages that were sent to the Youth and Family Services of Morris County Foundation.
The wishlists of children in the foundation are provided to staff and students, who then select a child to shop for.
“The drive is a great way to give back and give students a sense of community,” said National Science Honor Society adviser Wendy Bruffy.
While helping to provide a fun Christmas for children across the county, the drive benefits social workers as well. “Social workers no longer have to worry about getting gifts for hundreds of children. It takes the burden off of them so they can focus on looking after the kids,” said Bruffy. The Science National Honors Society’s fundraiser is an amazing way to give back to our community and benefit children and social workers in need.
National English Honors Society
The National English Honors Society hosted a fundraiser called Books for Tots. Books for Tots is a fundraiser providing new or gently used children’s books to those in need. These books were donated to children ranging in age from five to twelve through Dec. 1-10. Boxes were placed in the main entrance corridor for the donations and ultimately distributed to hundreds of children.
“We wanted to create opportunities for kids who don’t have as many resources,” said National English Honor Society member and junior Carly Draudt. This drive gives all members of our school a chance to give back and support our community.
In total, the English National Honor Society donated over 600 children’s books to Toys for Tots.
