Students, Rotary Club join to provide clothing

VERNON — Students from the Vernon Township High School Student Council and the Glen Meadow Middle School Peer Leaders joined forces with the Vernon Rotary Club to provide clothing for students in Vernon’s two middle schools.

Using money obtained via a grant from International Rotary, Keirra Doyle and Matt Losco, students at Glen Meadow, were charged with the task of purchasing age-appropriate, seasonally suitable clothing for students their age. VTHS Student Council members Ben Anderson and Paige McNulty served as mentors, giving budgetary as well as fashion advice to their middle school peers.

Susan George, Vernon Rotary Club grant recipient, initiated the project in cooperation with the Vernon Township Board of Education, and the venture relied on input from both Glen Meadow and Lounsberry Hollow Middle Schools’ nurses and guidance departments. Kathie Belli, a VTHS business education teacher who serves as adviser to both the student council and peer leaders, served as a liaison between the three groups participating in the project. Because of its proximity to Vernon and its budget-friendly reputation, the Franklin Walmart was selected as the go-to retailer for this endeavor.

The undertaking began with a discussion of budgetary considerations and constraints needed to complete the project. Students were allotted a dollar amount to work with and were given a specific list of items to purchase. As a condition of this grant, recipients of the clothing were required to be anonymous, adding a unique learning curve to the experience.

Part and parcel to the shopping escapade were re-considerations of clothing selected and how students could best utilize the monetary amount with which they were working. As a service learning opportunity, a hallmark of both the Student Council and Peer Leader organizations, this volunteer activity provided a venue for not only serving others, but provided an occasion for connecting with younger students who will soon make the transition from middle school to high school.

Clothing was delivered to the middle schools in time for distribution this past Christmas.