As part of the new Hagerty Loves Helping initiative, for the week of Feb.10-14, all classes were challenged to collect as much money as possible to be donated at the end of the week to charity.
“I put the sign on my door, and [I encouraged] people [to donate], because I think it’s a great opportunity for us to help Central Florida,” history teacher Amy Bingham said.
All proceeds go to Hope Helps, a non-profit organization focused on assisting the homeless with food, shelter and clothes as well as hosting fundraisers and events.
“Our goal is to give back to the community. And so we’ve done our annual toy drive [for] the last few years and this is just our second one of the year,” leadership sponsor Sarah Bearss said.
Leadership started the initiative as an opportunity to give back and allow students to support their communities.
“I personally feel that it is very important to give back to our community and people that are in need,” senior Celine Merlin said. “Sometimes we forget how good things are for us in Oviedo, and [that] some people need help. So I think it’s good to give back to the community and help others when they’re in need.”
In addition to raising money, leadership held dress-up days to raise awareness for the event, asking students to dress according to the theme of the day. The themes were “Peace & Love,” “Starstruck,” “Sweetheart Sleepover,” “I ♥ Day,” and “Cupid’s Colors.”
“I love dress up days. They’re so fun. In a perfect world, it would be every week,” junior Olivia Robertson said. “It’s really fun seeing what everybody comes up with.”
To reward students for dressing up, members of leadership came around with prizes during both lunches to give to those who participated.
“It does help encourage the [Hagerty Loves Helping] initiative, but it’s mainly just for our students to enjoy and have a good spirit week,” Merlin said. “School spirit hasn’t been the best so we’re trying to get more school spirit.”
The event was successful and leadership students are looking forward to continuing it in the future.
