The junior girl stands in front of her brand new club members. She is preparing to present her first club meeting. As a club leader, she wants to make an impact on her community as she leads other students to doing good deeds. This girl is hungry to help.  

Matt Shiels graduated leaving behind the presidency of two school clubs, Blankets for Good and Poverty Awareness. His younger sister, Emma Shiels, has taken over Matt’s role as president for both of these clubs. Shiels looks forward to carrying on the impactful work that her brother had done for the previous two years. 

Blankets for Good, brings students together to make blankets and then donates them to Linus, a nonprofit organization that helps children who have or are going through traumatic experiences. These children can range from foster children to cancer patients. Each blanket is handmade by students during club meetings, are collected and then sent off to Linus.

The Poverty Awareness club works with other programs, such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), to help impoverished children in over 190 countries. The Poverty Awareness club also educates its members about poverty through activities and lessons.

Shiels noted that she was motivated to make a bigger impact on her community by assuming the presidency of these two clubs. 

“I really, really like to help people,” Shiels said. “Since I’m getting older, I realized that I’ve been so focused on sports and academics. And I haven’t really focused on helping others, which I think is very important in life.”

Shiels hopes to expand membership and activities for both clubs.These clubs will also be welcoming a new vice president, junior Bryce Fisher.

Fisher said that he is looking forward to making an impact. “I am really devoted to giving back to people in need, which is the main reason why I applied for vice president of the clubs,” Fisher said. “This year, Emma and I are ready to bring students together to make a positive change.”

As the new school year begins, Blankets for Good will be looking forward to introduce new members as they start to learn how to make blankets and the process overall. Poverty Awareness club members will start collecting money bv reaching out to friends, family, and fellow classmates. The proceeds will be sent into providing safe water for children, therapeutic food, notebooks, and fleece blankets for children in need.