Celtic Heart still taking donations, serving students in need

Posted December 2020

By Daryna Bosyuk

Staff Editor

The Celtic Heart, the campus donations program, is still accepting referrals during distance learning for students in need.

Celtic Heart’s goal is to help every student succeed by making sure they have the supplies they need to do well in school. A teacher, or another adult, can contact a school counselor anonymously about a student in need, and the counselor will make sure they receive the needed supplies.

“The Celtic Heart is a nonprofit organization that provides clothing, toiletries and school supplies to students at David Douglas High School,” states their mission statement. “We strive to foster a sense of belonging and the ability to succeed in school.”

Supplies available for the students include academic supplies, backpacks, P.E. uniforms, shoes, and clothes. The supplies are given to the student as soon as possible so that they can succeed. Donations come from teachers and staff, alumni, and retired staff.

The program was started over 15 years ago by social studies teachers Tracy Lind and Heather Roberts. It is run by volunteers and donations. One of the main reasons the program continues is that the rate of free-reduced lunches has gone up significantly in the past years. Many students struggle with classes because of the lack of supplies, so the Celtic Heart was established to solve that problem.

The program is currently operated by counseling secretary Naomi Schneider due to the campus absence of Lind and Roberts because of distance learning. All referrals are made as usual. Schneider fills the referrals. In normal school years, student TAs fill the referrals.

Approximately 700 students benefit annually through this program.