With seventy-five donut holes in hand, senior Emma Yoder arrives at FHC with intents to brighten people’s day. After beginning a tentative “Donut Friday” routine during her junior year, she decided to make it a bi-weekly happening after seeing the joy it brought to others.

The concept of Donut Friday spawned during a session of AP Environmental Science when Emma was overwhelmed with the urge to make muffins. Her classmates brushed off her exclamation, assuming it was simply a random urge that would result in nothing. However, when Emma returned the next day with muffins to distribute, her classmates were overjoyed with her simple act of kindness.

“Everyone loved them,” Emma said. “It wasn’t just that the muffins were good, but people loved having a treat as a surprise. After that, I did it for some of the “funa�� Fridays last year. So on the first Friday of this school year, I decided to bring in donuts because I thought it would make people really happy– and it did. So, I decided to bring them in every other Friday and call it “Donut Friday.a��”

This generosity extends to any and everyone, not just Emma’s friends. Approaching her is encouraged, and she will not hesitate to give you one of her treats.

A bit of irony lies behind the concept of Donut Friday: Emma can’t eat any of the donuts herself.

“It cracks me up– I can’t eat any of the donuts,” Emma said. “I’m gluten-free. I don’t really know why I kept doing it; I guess it’s because I did it a few times last year.”

Emma’s charitability is unparalleled by many, but not only in the field of fun treats. Last year, Emma, along with 2017 graduate Justin James, organized the charity basketball game to raise money for pediatric cancer research, nicknamed the Gold Game.

After the successes of last year’s game, Emma has decided to organize another charity game this year, focusing on mental health awareness.

“The girls basketball team and I had an idea over the summer that we wanted to switch it up and do a game that’s a bit more relatable,” Emma said. “We want to bring awareness to the fact that a lot of people around FHC do struggle with mental health, and we have to be aware of that and be there to support them.”

In the end, FHC is a community filled with a diverse group of people; people that should be there to support one another.

“[The goal] is to bring everyone together and accept each other for who we are,” Emma said.

No matter the situation, Emma demonstrates immense beneficence displayed in a multitude of ways, both through light-hearted treats and charity events.

“I guess I like to make people smile,” Emma said.