Providing Necessities for Those in Need

Green Level High School NatStuCo members in Cary, NC, created hygiene kits including hand sanitizer, face masks, shampoo, gloves, and soap to aid those experiencing homelessness amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The chapter partnered with local organizations to boost awareness and help fund the cost of supplies while also promoting the initiative to students on social media. More than 200 students donated, and members raised over $1,000, which funded the creation of more than 100 kits.

A Rockin’ Cause Including Pies for Paws

J.D. Smith Middle School NatStuCo members in North Las Vegas raised money and collected supplies for Rockin’ 4 Rescues, a local charity that helps animals. Members asked students to contribute new or gently used leashes, collars, toys, and towels, as well as unopened food and treats. Large boxes decorated with paw prints were placed around the school to collect donations. The chapter also raised $500 from mini pie sales beginning on March 14 (also known as Pi day). Members enjoyed helping animals and learned that falling below the poverty line does not prevent students from fundraising success.

Community Service That Stacks Up

Bridge City High School student council members in Bridge City, TX, hosted a free pancake breakfast to benefit the Garth House, a safe haven that provides counseling for young victims of sexual or physical abuse and their nonoffending family members. The chapter woke up bright and early to prepare piles of free pancakes, for which donations were encouraged and accepted. Members raised over $300 to aid support offered by the Garth House and were proud to play a part in making the world a better place.

In Sync With the Community

Prior to COVID-19, members of Fernley High School’s NatStuCo chapter in Fernley, NV, organized a lip sync battle between classes to help fund the development of a local community center. Classes were assigned themes around which they created lip sync skits. After two weeks of practice, they were ready to battle. Members from the community center judged the competition. The chapter was able to contribute $120 to building efforts raised from admittance fees, and students were inspired to become more involved in the community.

You’re Beautiful—I Just Want You to Know

Brock Junior High School NatStuCo members in Brock, TX, launched “Operation Beautiful”—a weeklong celebration aimed at liberating people from physical beauty standards and building confidence. The chapter partnered with a local custom print company to produce T-shirts promoting natural beauty, and a date was selected to wear the shirt and provide compliments of character, rather than appearance. Members also dedicated a bulletin board in the school to motivational messages, displayed supportive sticky notes on lockers and bathroom mirrors, and hosted a “no-fuss day” during which students in school and women in the community were encouraged to forego makeup and showcase true beauty through acts of kindness.

A Rind Is a Terrible Thing to Waste

Inspired to clean up a local park and reduce wasted food’s impact on the environment, a Post Oak School NHS member in Houston initiated a series of service activities involving trash removal and turning people’s organic waste into fertile soil for the community. The member removed litter and set up compost bins in the park, which were sourced from on a weekly basis and combined with leaves. After the composted mixture decomposed, the member sifted the soil until it was very fine and bagged it for use by the community. The removal of trash improved the park’s appearance, and approximately 50 bins of compost were processed and turned into soil for community use.

Seas the Day, Save the Planet

To support the environment and their community, Highlands Intermediate School’s student council members in Pearl City, HI, recruited students, teachers, and staff to participate in a beach cleanup on Earth Day. Equipped with trash bags and gloves, participants fanned out across the beach and collected trash to make the beach a nicer, safer place while also improving the coastal and ocean ecosystem. Members collected approximately 100 pounds of trash in an effort to prevent the disruption of marine life, and volunteers vowed to make beach cleanup activities an annual event.

Shoe Shifting

To help people out of poverty in third world countries, Lakewood Middle School NatStuCo members in Lakewood, NJ, organized a shoe drive through Funds2Orgs. The chapter designed and distributed flyers to community members to provide their city with a socially responsible way to dispose of shoes, and they set up a schoolwide contest to fuel donations through healthy competition. Members collected over 2,800 pairs of shoes and raised $1,040. They also learned that while many people in their community cannot afford to have more than a few pairs of shoes, people always band together to help those less fortunate.

WANT MORE IDEAS? Log in to the National Student Project Database for thousands of project ideas from schools across the country.

nhs.us/projects • njhs.us/projects • NatStuCo.org/projects