School clubs raise money for Northern Lights

Audrey Hepburn once said, “As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” Two student organizations — the National Honors Society and the Social Justice Action Team — have done just that, by raising money for North area families struggling to pay the heating and electricity bills.
Northern Lights, an organization that helps families who are struggling financially to pay for their heating and electricity bills, gives priority to those who either attend North High, Northeast Middle, or one of the four elementary schools in the area.
“By donating, you are helping out your peers, maybe even your friends, during a very difficult time. The fund, run by our social worker, helps families fill their basic needs from a financial standpoint, such as keeping their lights or heat on,” said senior Rebecca Fink, who helped initiate the fundraising at Parkway North.
This semester, the two groups raised over $1,000 collectively for the cause. The Social Justice Action Team (SJAT) began the fundraising efforts at basketball games, where they asked people to donate what they could, be that fifteen cents or fifteen dollars. The National Honors Society then held a car wash April 18. Signs posted along the streets in surrounding areas brought people to North to get their car washed for a small donation. All of the funds were donated to Northern Lights.
The last effort by SJAT was a pie-in-the-face contest. Starting Monday, April 20, students and staff were encouraged to donate during lunch. For each 50 cents donated, the student was given the opportunity to guess how many jelly beans there were in a jar. The person with the closest guess at the end of the week would get to throw a pie in the face of their grade level principal. Senior Gabby Krikorian, junior Aly Zuhler, sophomore Kevon McMiller, and freshman Sohana Pai won the contest for each of their grade levels. Senior Durga Kullakanda was the winner of the raffle to throw a pie at head principal Dr. Jenny Marquart.
“I enjoyed it. It was for a good cause,” said freshman principal Dr. Tori Cain. “It also raised excitement within the school.”
While both groups have moved on to different projects, it is not too late to donate to Northern Lights.
“There is an account open in the bookstore, so if you go there and have an extra dollar or two or just want to donate, that’s the place to do it!” said Fink.

By Ryan Lutker