Students make Easter baskets for children in need
 |
Photo by junior Justin Hotle |
 Thousands of local children in need will have a better Easter this year, thanks to the LCHS community. On March 8, more than 200 students in various clubs and athletics along with staff members and parent volunteers filled the cafeteria to spend five hours arranging 3,000 Easter baskets with candy, snacks, and toys for the Open Arms Mission. The charitable event was organized largely by administrators, said Principal Jim McKay, but Key Club is expected to take over in years to come.
McKay described the atmosphere as "energetic" as the volunteers worked efficiently to complete the task. The baskets then were distributed to local nursing homes, Kids Hope United, the Open Arms Mission, and more.
"Everyone understood why they were there," McKay said.
McKay said that the event was the beginning of a greater partnership between LCHS and the Open Arms Mission and a way to involve students in community outreach. He added that he hopes to see outreach incorporated into the curriculum in the near future. For example, he suggested asking business students to come up with a marketing plan to raise money using empty milk bottles—an effort to help the Open Arms Mission pay its monthly $2,000 milk bill.
The event followed the annual Easter Bunny Breakfast, sponsored by the Junior Class. More than 400 area residents attended the three-hour event with their children, who participated in face painting, an Easter egg hunt, and other activities and had a chance to chit-chat with the Easter Bunny.
|
