Service brings a smile
Janine Marnien
Actually getting to meet the people she has helped has given a
whole new meaning to community service for La Canada High School
senior Nicole Arboleda.
Nicole and the rest of her fellow Key Club members adopted 13
underprivileged families through a Pasadena homeless shelter for
Christmas. The project is an annual event for the student
organization, but the nature of it gives a personal feel to community
service, Nicole said.
“Some of the people can’t even speak English, but you can always
see how thankful they are in their face,” she said. “They’re always
shocked at how much you can give them.”
The 160 Key Club members divided into teams to adopt an individual
family from the Friends in Need shelter.
The students prepared Christmas baskets, filled with dinner
supplies and toys for children at an average cost of $80 to $100.
They also held a canned-food drive, offering Krispy Kreme
doughnuts as a prize for classrooms that brought in the most
donations.
Being able to deliver the baskets in person takes the focus off
some students’ goal of compiling community-service hours for a
resume, said Nicole, the club’s president.
“Our club does not have an hours requirement, it has a project
requirement,” she said. “That way, you can pick which projects you
do, and be totally focused on that.”
The club does various service projects throughout the year, but
the Christmas baskets are its favorite, advisor Mary Weaver said.
“It goes along with Christmas time and the spirit of giving,” she
said. “They can watch the recipients accept the gift, and the kids
really enjoy that.”
The students’ activities were funded with grant money and out of
club dues.