Ho, ho, ho! With the holidays just around the corner, students and staff are finding ways to spread joy and help others. While the school places a priority on community service throughout the year, the holiday season is a time when students’ compassion truly shines.
The holidays can bring happy moments of time spent with loved ones sharing traditions and giving gifts. But that is not the case for everyone. The holidays also bring extra stress and challenges—especially in times of economic strain when gifts and even essentials like groceries are increasingly expensive. Financial pressures, grief, loneliness and family conflicts can often leave people managing sadness and mental health challenges. Due to this, leading projects to lift others up during the holidays can go a long way.
In some cases, this can mean a simple project like partnering with a community organization to contribute to a toy drive. At the last meeting of the season last week, the Science National Honor Society did just that.
Vice President Henry explained that members brought new, unwrapped toys to the Dec. 12 meeting as part of the society’s community service project.
The donations were then delivered to a Toys for Tots collection site in Seminole County, which is in the final days of toy collection for this year.
“Being able to support kids in our own county makes the project feel even more meaningful,” Henry said.
Once received, the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve distributes the toys to kids in need across Seminole County as part of its annual toy collection and distribution program. “Helping our school to be a part of a program that has been making holidays brighter for children around the world brings a feeling of meaningful connection,” Henry said.
Other holiday projects include more hands-on approaches—like in the case of the Key Club. They work with their sponsoring organization, the Kiwanis Club of Oviedo–Winter Springs, on an annual stocking-stuffing project. Along with other community members, the Key Club collects donations of staple items like body wash and shampoo as well as snacks, toys and other holiday items like teddy bears.
Members of Key Club also made cards they included when stuffing hundreds of stockings for underserved children in our community at the Oviedo Mall during a weekend event in early December.
“Seeing so many students and families come together for a single purpose really shows the heart of our community,” Nitza Ariza said.
Kathy McDonald, a long-time member of the Kiwanis Club of Oviedo-Winter Springs and a Hagerty Key Club sponsor, explained the project brings many community members together in the same place on the same day to stuff hundreds of holiday stockings.
“The project is an opportunity for Hagerty students to work with families, friends and volunteers of all ages side-by-side on a project that will end up brightening a local child’s Christmas morning,” McDonald said.
The stockings are destined for kids who are served by the police departments of Oviedo, Winter Springs, Sanford and Casselberry, as well as residents at Matthew’s Hope and people benefiting from services offered by the Orlando VA.
Other projects are designed to support the closest community to students: their Hagerty families. Counselor Erin Isaacs, organizes and runs an Angel Tree program where students can sign up to purchase gifts to brighten the holiday season for other Huskies and their families.
Similarly, the College and Career Center and ELEVATE club have a Huskies Helping Huskies project where monetary contributions can be made to give the gift of graduation to a fellow student. Donations are being collected through MySchoolBucks to support cap and gown, prom ticket and Grad Bash ticket purchases for those who might not otherwise be able to afford the expenses that come with being a senior. Students and volunteers can visit @elevate_hhs on Instagram to learn more about this program.
The College and Career Center had another opportunity for Huskies to receive local support at the Free Community Night for Avalanche’s Attic on Dec. 9 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. During the time, anyone from the local community could stop in to shop for free teen-trendy and young adult clothing, shoes, hats and socks. There were also personal hygiene products available.
Hagerty students are fortunate to have many options to help others and are encouraged to connect with clubs, teams and honor societies to find even small ways they can support and benefit from the many holiday projects happening this season across campus.
