Student Council is hosting Great Green Help to provide juniors with an opportunity to volunteer in the community on April 29.
According to junior Ewa Adedipe, Great Green Help allows students to give back to the community through service at elementary schools, which is what National Honor Society strives to have students do.
“I have learned the value of giving back to my community,” Adedipe said.
Similarly, junior Bridgette Stucky-Dorris said the National Honor Society has given her many opportunities to interact with the community. Stuck-Dorris said that not only has National Honor Society given her the opportunities to give back to the community, but it has also taught her basic life skills.
Stucky-Dorris said that although Great Green Help is a valuable opportunity to engage in the community, it is so late in the year that students will not have time to use it toward their NHS volunteer hours. Similarly, junior Ellen Hanrath said that because it is so late this year, fewer juniors are participating, so they have to find other ways to reach their National Honor Society volunteer hours.
“One of the ways I volunteer is by working for a garden non-profit that provides fresh food at no cost to people in need in Lawrence, and I am passionate about serving my community, so it seemed like a good fit,” Hanrath said.
Hanrath said that although Great Green Help does not contribute to the National Honor Society volunteer hours, it is still a great way to help both the community and the environment. Similarly, Adedipe said Great Green Help will gather more attention to the environment and plants.
“At Great Green Help, we plant trees at elementary schools to give back,” Adedipe said.
Adedipe said that Great Green Help gives students who are interested in the community a chance to give back to younger students and teach them how to help the environment. Stucky-Dorris said she loves the environment and interacting with the community, so Great Green Help was the perfect opportunity to volunteer.
“I am participating in Great Green Help because I love plants and I have a lot in my bedroom, so I want others to enjoy them as well,” Stucky-Dorris said.
Stucky-Dorris said that she likes being a member of the National Honor Society because it allows her to find new hobbies and interact with the community. Similarly, Hanrath said there are plenty of options around Lawrence that appeal to all types of people and their interests while still achieving their volunteer hours.
“Great Green Help provides opportunities for students to give back to the community and learn what impact their volunteering can have,” Hanrath said.
