Blackhawk

This month was a very busy month for BHS KEY Club. Our Head Start gift drive is by far our largest service project throughout the year. Every Christmas, we take the students of our district's Head Start class, and we buy clothes and toys for each student. Almost all of the families involved are less fortunate, and are often not able to provide at Christmas time. For every child, we have two "tags", one for clothes, and one for toys. We ask each volunteer to purchase twenty to twenty-five dollars worth of items for each tag that they receive. In this way, we attempt to disperse any financial hardships on members. We also are able to drum up a great deal of support from teachers within the district, and the family members of Club members. Along with the Head Start students, we are anonymously approached by members of the community that request for children to be part of the drive. This year, we provided Christmas presents for over 55 children in our area, totalling almost $2,500. When delivering the gifts, several members travel to one of our two elementary schools with all of the presents loaded into large black garbage bags. Passing for garbage or something unimportant, the students are none the wiser when we distribute the bags to the parents, and Santa is able to remain in their lives. Along with each bag, we pass out an envelope to every student's parent that contains various coupons and vouchers that we receive as donations from businesses in the community. The project is long and arduous, but it is an absolute joy to know that we, as a Club, are able to provide for children that would have nothing at Christmas without our help. It teaches us the true meaning of giving, and allows us to keep the spirit of Christmas alive.