This year, Acorn FCCLA developed a community service project called Cakes for CASA.  Students collected all items needed to assemble birthday cake "kits" for local foster children served by CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for children in foster care).  Local schools were challenged to collect the most items and bring them to a Leadership Blast Off event held on the Acorn campus.  All students in attendance assembled the cake kits during the event with items that had been brought by six different FCCLA chapters from three different counties.  175 cake kits were assembled!! The kits were then given to CASA representative, Amanda Baker, so every foster child would have access to a birthday cake on their birthday. Mena Mayor, Seth Smith was in attendance.  Union Bank of Mena provided lunch for all. Polk County Pulse newspaper covered the event.  Read more here.

Acorn Officers volunteered at Home Life Academy the week before Christmas break.  They read Christmas stories to the little ones and assisted the child care workers in their daily duties.

This year, Acorn FCCLA has been working to combat Food Insecurity in our community.  We held a school food drive in November.  We also have volunteered each month by packing food distribution boxes at Acts of Love Food Pantry.

The Sorge Christmas Project is an Acorn FCCLA tradition.  The project is named after a former, beloved Acorn employee, Mrs. Sorge.  Mrs. Sorge embodied what all who work in education should be.  She loved children and went the extra mile to make sure every child had what they needed to be successful in school.  For many years, Acorn FCCLA has raised funds each year to buy Christmas presents for students on the Acorn campus who might not otherwise have a Christmas.  This year, we were able to raise enough funds to buy a complete Christmas for 9 students on the high school & elementary campus, plus extra funds to purchase additional toys to be given away at the elementary.  

During Red Ribbon Week, Damon Cruz & Lyndsey Powell were asked to speak to the student body about the dangers of vaping.  They led an assembly in the Mary Davis Gym and spoke to all students grades 7-12.