Passion for helping
Memorial High students work hard to help people in need
SYDNEY MINES — Six students at Memorial High School are proving being community-minded doesn't come with age.
Grade 12 students Amy Kubleck, Ian Jenkins, Kameron Power and Amelia MacDougall, along with Grade 9 students Riley Collins and Tyler Deline, all went above and beyond for the school's annual Christmas charity initiatives.
In total, Memorial students donated more than 4,000 items to food banks in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality and helped adopt 12 families. The student council also ran a stockings-for-seniors campaign, buying presents for people living in nursing homes.
"I know that I'm superfortunate with my family and everything. And I just know other families aren't as fortunate as me, so I like to give back, within the community especially," said Kublek.
"I think it's our responsibility as a member of the community to help each other out in their times of need," said MacDougall.
"Especially during COVID. The holiday season is usually a tough time for some people, but I think especially given the pandemic it's important that we do our best to try and give back this year."
Power said by helping the community, she's helping other students.
"You don't really see it, but there's a lot of people in our school whose families really struggle," she said. "So when you're helping the community you're basically helping your school."
HOW THEY HELPED
The initiatives were organized by the student union with partnerships with other groups like the MHS Gives Good Club. The four Grade 12 students are members of the student council and MacDougall and Kubleck are copresidents this year.
"I volunteered at a guest home last year," said Kubleck, explaining why she's inspired to help seniors.
"It kind of made me upset, going there every day, knowing they don't really have anyone to give them company. So I just love that we are giving back to them."
Jenkins, whose community mindedness is inspired by his late grandmother, started a second stockings-for-seniors campaign and enlisted his hockey team plus some Memorial grads for it.
"My nan, when she was alive, she was really involved in giving the seniors gifts. So when she passed away, I really wanted to start doing it, like take it over," he said.
"We wanted to give the seniors double the gifts since they can't have visitors this year."
The stockings went to seniors in nursing homes through North Sydney and Sydney Mines plus a couple of locations in Sydney. The gift packages included pyjamas, slippers and toiletries for each senior.
In past years, students visited with the seniors, singing them carols, doing a stepdance for them and painting their nails. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they had to do no contact drop off for 2020.
THE JUNIORS
Deline and Collins prove you don't need a car to collect hundreds of dollars in donations in a week.
The friends collected 1,034 items for the food bank in a week, pulling a wagon down multiple communities in their area, knocking on doors soliciting donations.
"The other kids in our class got just one or two," said Collins, who hadn't done a campaign like this before.
In total, their whole Grade 9 class collected 1,064 items, which inspired other classes to get more donations as the race to win the coveted pizza party revived. Deline and Collins and their class came in second overall, with MacDougall's Grade 12 class beating them by almost 200 items.
Collins said he "had nothing else to do" when Deline asked him to help collect the donations. Now, he's planning to help in future fundraising events.
Deline had done door-todoor fundraising for people in need before and now has no plans of stopping.
The duo took to the streets again, asking for donations for the adopt-a-family campaign and collectively raised $480 in about five days.
"I like helping people," Deline said. "It feels good to know you are helping people in your community.
"I'm just happy that people are proud of me and that I'm actually helping people out, doing the right (thing)," said Collins.
MORE SPIRIT
Since starting at Memorial four years ago, the four grads have been involved in fundraising campaigns and say this year there's more school spirit and student participation.
"I think especially after last year, when a lot of the schools and stuff were shut down, a lot more people were inspired to get out and do it because we realize we can't take doing that kind of stuff for granted," MacDougall said.
"I think because of COVID we want to do more things," added Kubleck. "Because we don't know how much longer we could be doing it."