SGA holds service day

The program will offer students the opportunity to volunteer at hospitals, clean up the community and offer support in other areas "where help is really needed," said senior Emma Simson, SGA vice president and organizer of Community Service Day.

The first Community Service Day was Dec 14, when students signed up for one of two activities. The first was participating in such activities as sing-a-longs at Cedar Creek, an organization that supports senior citizens with Alzheimer's disease. The second choice was to stay at Blair to make holiday cards for the Abused Children Shelter, create small holiday packages for various organizations and prepare food for local homeless shelters.

As part of its new initiative, the SGA will become more active in blood drives and the SGR's charity drives, said Simson. She added that the recent blood drive, conducted on Nov 22, went "very well," yielding 20 pints of blood beyond the goal of 60 pints.

Simson said that the SGA will buy gifts for two children whose families cannot afford presents this year. Both children have disabilities and were selected by Children's Hospital.

The SGA will make donations to other non-profit organizations this holiday season although no specific organization has yet been chosen, said Simson.

Social studies teacher and SGA co-sponsor Julia Smrek said the program will be effective in helping students acquire Student Service Learning (SSL) hours, 60 of which are required to graduate. Smrek explained that the ultimate goal of the program is to "reach out to the community."

For more information about the program, contact an SGA representative or visit the SGA office, room 161, on Mondays or Thursdays during either lunch