WAYNESBORO – Local students will use this act of kindness at Thanksgiving as a way to express their support for residents of New Hope Shelter in Waynesboro.
For the second year in a row, members of the Future Business Leaders of America/Interact chapter at Waynesboro Area Senior High School (WASHS) purchased supplies for and will host a spaghetti dinner Nov. 25 at the shelter. New Hope, which opened in 1998, provides individualized case management and life skills training to help families and individuals become financially independent and secure stable housing.
“We will make the dinner – spaghetti, garlic bread and Texas toast, and cookies for dessert – all in their (the shelter’s) kitchen,” said WASHS senior Ella Snelbaker, who is president of FBLA. “Actually there are many children housed at the shelter and we’re looking forward to the activities that we have planned for them. We have crafts that will be fun for all ages.”
Members of the high school’s FBLA chapter were installed as members of Interact at a Rotary Club of Waynesboro meeting Oct. 28, according to Brian Fisher, adviser to the group along with Kegan Crider. “Interact is essentially a Rotary Club for high school students and now we’re officially going by FBLA/Interact,” he added.
The group has been actively fundraising to support the shelter, according to Ella. “We went to businesses in Wayne Heights and nearby and then visited all the businesses in downtown Waynesboro to ask for monetary donations,” she noted. FBLA/Interact also collected gift cards and gift certificates from some businesses that were raffled off at a recent Rotary Club of Waynesboro meeting.
“We’ve also placed collection boxes in the 59 classrooms at the high school with three tiers of giving. The first tier is non-perishable items (canned goods). The second is household supplies – cleaning items and personal care items, and the third is a winter coat drive (new and gently used),” Ella said. After the drive ends Dec. 15 FBLA/Interact will visit the shelter to present the donations. “Donors receive one point for each first tier item, five points for each second tier item and 10 points for each third tier item. The room with the highest points will earn a free bowling trip to Sunshine Lanes from FBLA/Interact.”
On Dec. 15, FBLA/Interact will collect canned food and winter coats at the WASHS vs. Greencastle-Antrim High School boys basketball game. There will be a faculty game at 6:30 p.m. between the junior varsity (5:30 p.m.) and varsity game (7:30 p.m.)
Members of the group also participated in two community service days to benefit the shelter, Ella noted. “We helped place newly donated items, especially holiday, at the New Hope Thrift Store and went out and collected items from people around the community and then helped unload them.
“I think being involved in FBLA/Interact is a really good way to expand yourself. There are so many opportunities that I never would have had if I was not in it,” added Ella. “FBLA/Interact has a good way of connecting students in the school to the club members, to the community and then extends to business owners, Rotarians, faculty and staff and more.”
