Over FHC’s extensive history, there has been a wide range of clubs. From Spanish to pickleball to crochet to burgers, if you can think of a club, FHC probably already has it. If the specific club that you are looking for has not already been started, teachers are always willing to supervise a new club.
So, along with the backing of math teacher Rebecca Lipke, junior Sadie Koffman started a club at the beginning of this year, taking it upon herself to add one more to the FHC club roster: Community Club.
“I started Community Club because I love giving back to my community through volunteering,” Sadie said. “I felt that many other students either love giving back as well, or they want to volunteer but don’t know how to find the opportunities.”
When the idea came to Sadie and her friends over the summer, they immediately began planning how to get the club going. The idea was there; now, they only needed to get to school to start it. The idea was to make a club meant to help juniors gain volunteer hours.
“The purpose of the club,” Sadie said, “is primarily to provide numerous activities for kids to participate in, gain volunteer hours [for college or National Honors Society (NHS) applications], and have fun while making a strong impact on others and our community.”
Though there have only been six meetings, the first few were successful. Many students showed up, filling Lipke’s room with students eager to help. The club was ready, participation was sure, and now all that needed to be done was to start volunteering. Working with GR Elderly Care to help with supplies, students worked for 40 minutes on tying ropes, tying tennis balls into socks, and cutting and gluing onto balls to make fun toys. Finally, the purpose of this session is completed when all of these creations are donated to the Humane Society. Junior Lilah Yoder is a participant in the club and enjoys having the opportunity to serve the community with friends.
“I like how so many people ended up showing up, and how everyone came together, and we worked on [the] toys,” Lilah said. “[Everyone] enjoyed doing it and just talked with their friends while also helping the community.”
Junior Hayden Lutz agrees with Lilah. She talks about loving the effort each person is putting into all of the volunteering and how everyone seems to want to be there. Her reason for joining is similar to many other juniors: she is excited to volunteer, and she realizes she needs to up her club participation.
“At first I joined [Community Club] because I have never been in a club, and [I] wanted the experience,” Hayden said. “However, as I dug deeper into the cause of the club, I became so much more interested and willing to show up to meetings.”
The consensus of the members overall is that this is a club to get volunteer hours and to have fun with friends while doing it. Junior Jackson Madigan is excited to be in a club that does not have a huge commitment and is still helpful. Because of the many commitments added on in junior year, and the fact that the majority of the members are juniors, the small workload is very convenient for busy students.
“I like just being around friends during the club, and the club is also for a good cause,” Jackson said. “I also like it because the club isn’t stressful at all, all you have to do is show up, and there is no [out-of-club] work.”
As for what will happen at upcoming meetings, more volunteer opportunities will be given to a large range of organizations. And, in order to keep track of the hours that each member puts into the club, there is a sheet that easily keeps track of hours that Sadie will sign off on for the NHS logged hours. The first meeting was a panel for all ideas of places the club could volunteer: Kids Food Basket, animal shelters, making gifts and cards for sick people and seniors. The options are endless, and the planning is already underway.
“As of right now, we are making pet toys for the humane society for 30 minutes every other week before school,” Sadie said. “However, we are planning our first out-of-school opportunity. We will be making blankets for kids at the hospital.”
These types of plans pose a grand picture for the future of the club, hosting meetings every other Tuesday before school. Though the club is currently dominated by juniors, Sadie is excited for when other grades begin to join.
“We welcome everyone from all grades; there is not anyone who we would not want there,” Sadie said. “You can join at any point in the year, and there’s no deadline for helping.”
