Lake Highlands freshmen will be partyin’ down at the annual Holiday Dance Friday night, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be focused only on having fun. This year’s group decided to use the occasion to collect blankets for the needy at Austin Street Shelter.
The dance is sponsored by the LHFC Student Council, and officers Matthew Johnson, Brannt Faris, Claire Pask, Semien Hagos and Maddie Gholston originally wanted the group to spend a morning preparing and serving breakfast at the shelter, according to sponsor Erin Chesal. But since the kids are still too young to drive themselves, collecting blankets to help the less fortunate feel some holiday love made sense. Students who donate get to buy their dance ticket for half price – $5 instead of 10. Chesal is hoping to collect 50-60 blankets by the time the party’s over.
LHFC StuCo coordinates at least two charitable activities each year. “I believe that civic responsibility should be an important part of our kids’ education and should permeate throughout our clubs and activities,” Chesal told me. Freshman and StuCo member Matt Mason said he and his friends think it’s a great idea to help others during the Christmas season while having a good time at the dance. The group collected 1,700 cans of food for the North Texas Food Bank in the fall.
If you’d like to show your support, you can drop off a new or gently used blanket at the LHFC front office, 10200 White Rock Trail, this week.
