It’s the holiday season. Strolling down Solano, you can see Christmas trees to your right as well as Christmas lights wrapped around each streetlight. It’s a time for charity as well. Charities have grown in importance in the past few years. At Albany High, clubs offer bake sales and donations as a means of fundraising for charities.
My New Red Shoes Teen Advocacy Council held a bake sale to clothe the homeless on December 14th.
Key Club and BuildOn volunteered at the Oakland Children’s Holiday Parade on December 5th.
BuildOn also held a service project at St. Anthony’s Soup Kitchen to feed the hungry.
As students, we are encouraged to give back to our community and to help those who are less fortunate. Bake sales seem to accomplish this, but where exactly do the proceeds go?
President of Red Cross Club, Sophomore Michelle Cheung, reports that their bake sale made a profit of about $90, which they will donate to a local charity. Red Cross is also working on a project called the Samaritan’s Purse, a program where people fill shoeboxes with children’s toys and other objects that will then be shipped to impoverished countries.
Leadership is holding a toy drive, called “Something Special.” Many families reported that they were unable to purchase toys and other Christmas gifts last holiday season due to the economic crisis. Something Special allows people to donate new and used toys for underprivileged families — and the top three students who donate the most will get $10 off their Winter Ball ticket! This fundraiser will run from January 4th to January 25th, so you can stop by the table in front of the main office when break is over to donate new toys or even used toys in good condition.
Although we are in an economic recession, the holiday season still remains a time for giving. It is time to give back to our community, so let the holiday spirit consume us all this season. Even if you can’t find the time to volunteer in school clubs, you can always stop by at a bake sale or drop off a toy because every single act of charity means a lot to a person in need.
