A trip to Nicaragua changed the life of biology teacher Mrs. Leah Everett. Picking mangrove seeds, a fruit native to the town of Huacalo, Mrs. Everett, with many other volunteers worked tirelessly in the town to restore it for the locals.
A man Mrs. Everett got to know through the trip, Ramone, now runshis own turtle restoration company.
All of this was made possible through GIVE.
GIVE club is a service based club that prides itself on empowering local communities.
Because of Mrs. Everett’s life changing experience with GIVE, she worked to get this club established at our school, so it could impact others like it had impacted her. The following summer after Everett went on her trip in 2021, the club became a part of LFHS.
At the time, GIVE was only at one other high school and was mainly a club seen at colleges. However, Mrs. Everett saw its impact and understood its importance, which is why she introduced it to LFHS.
The club would meet every other week, and members participated in different volunteer activities that supported both our community and others around us.
Emma Stadolnik, who graduated in 2024, was one of the co-presidents of GIVE her senior year. She helped organize various volunteer events around our community, and she herself volunteered at them.
“We volunteered at Elawa farms in the summertime where we learned about sustainable agriculture and even helped Elawa workers harvest crops,” said Stadolnik.
GIVE is not only focused on empowering our own community but also other communities around the world.
“GIVE is an outside affiliation, it lets you go see other parts of the world that are different from the ones you’re living in,” said Everett.
GIVE offers service trips, similar to the trip to Nicaragua Everett went on.
During the Ukranian-Russian crisis, GIVE club helped do a toy drive with Ukrainian women for local refugee children. The club was able to provide 180 wrapped Christmas gifts for Ukrainian children around the area.
“What makes GIVE club so different from any other club is you can see other parts of the world,” said Everett.
GIVE offers trips to a variety of places around the world including Costa Rica and countries in Africa. A few years ago, when GIVE was still at LFHS, the members of the club were talking about going on a trip to Hawaii through GIVE. Although it didn’t end up working out, GIVE has the ability to make service trips like this possible.
“You get to experience life through different cultures, and experience how they live and how what you do in your community impacts those of others around the world,” said Everett.
GIVE club eventually fizzled out a few years after it came to high school; 2024 was the last year to hold the club to this date.
GIVE club should come back to LFHS because of the impacts it has had on past students and the opportunities that it could allow high school students to have in the future.
Lauren Eglite, also a 2024 graduate, and co-president of GIVE was one of many students who were positively impacted by this club.
“GIVE was a really great way to give back to different communities around us, and connect with local organizations like Salt learning,” said Eglite.
Since Everett was a volleyball coach, this club mainly attracted volleyball players, making it difficult to get high attendance during the season due to scheduling conflicts. GIVE had 15-25 participants each meeting, with and the volleyball players making up a large portion of the group.
GIVE was getting ready to elect a new leadership team when the members of the club got the news that it was no longer going to continue.
“This was disappointing to hear because GIVE was such a great part of my high school experience and allowed me to contribute to different communities in meaningful ways,” said Stadolnik.
GIVE should come back, because unlike other clubs, it allows high school students to travel the world, help communities, and gain awareness of global issues and cultures.
GIVE truly helps students understand how their actions impact other communities and teaches the importance of building a community through strength and teamwork.
“If you’re looking for a life changing experience and not just something you will put on your resume, this is the club for you,” said Everett.
LFHS, it’s time to give us GIVE back.
