Season of Giving

The Holiday Season is already here, and this is the most exciting time of year. This time of year is filled with gifts, parties, and spending time with family and friends. This time of year is also known as the “Season of Giving,” and at Homer-Center, students and staff are making sure to give back to the community.

The Student Council has provided Thanksgiving meals for families in the community this year. Preparing meals can be difficult for people to prepare themselves, so by providing these meals, families were able to have some weight lifted off their shoulders.

“We put together meals for 32 families this year.” Student Council Advisor Lisa Adams included. “We also added some extra items such as pasta and some desserts along with a gift card for Ideal Market for the families.”

A big part of giving back to the community is by raising money for the Teddy Bear Fund Drive. Money raised for the Teddy Bear Fund Drive benefits the Pediatric Unit at the Indiana Regional Medical Center and the Free Care Fund at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

Every year, HC makes it a priority to raise money for this important cause to help our local children have high quality health care.

To help raise money for this important cause, there are many fundraisers that occur throughout the month of December. The HC Observer hosted a 12 Days of Christmas spirit days, where students could donate a dollar to dress up for the theme days. The Fitness Club will sponsor a ping pong tournament and the annual Restaurant Days will be held.

“Everybody looks forward to the holidays.” HC Observer advisor Deanne Magolis said. “ By hosting theme days, it brings the teachers and students together in a fun and creative way that also allows us to help local children.”

This year, Interact Club has multiple different service projects throughout December. Every year, Interact Club rings the bells for the Salvation Army in Indiana to help raise money for the community. Another way they are giving back is making personalized gifts for a local nursing home. By making personalized cards and donating money, residents of the nursing home will have a gift to open up this Christmas.

“Our very generous faculty has donated money and have created personalized cards for the residents.” Interact Club Advisor Steven Hall added. “ With the donations, we are able to purchase different items such as crossword puzzles, blankets, socks so that the residents can have a gift to open up on Christmas.”

Students and staff at HC are taking the focus off of themselves to make sure that everyone in the community can have a memorable Holiday Season. This time of year can be hard for people, and by giving back to others, they are making this time of year more enjoyable for others.