By Martie Thompson
editor@floridanewsline.com
When Kourtney Nguyen and Mandolyn Mansell transferred from Stanton to Mandarin High School they had an idea to start a community service club at their new school. They found that a lot of charities have clubs at the high school level and so they reached out to the Red Cross in August to see what they needed to do to start one at Mandarin. By November they held their first meeting and today have between 30 – 35 members who meet once per month after school to perform community service projects.
“Our club is humanitarian and community related, not just medical,” Mansell said, despite the general implications of being associated with the Red Cross.
Mansell said that three mission projects are required annually to maintain their affiliation with the Red Cross, which is overseen by a staff member at the Red Cross of Northeast Florida. The MHS club has already performed three projects and has plans for a few more before the end of this school year, their first in existence.
Members created holiday cards in their Holiday for Heroes project before the holidays. These cards, along with items collected during a donation drive at the school, were collected by the Red Cross for distribution to military members around the world.
Next came a community awareness project on sickle cell anemia. Club members created informative posters and Mansell and Nguyen even used this project to compete at a regional HOSA – Future Health Professionals competition held at Tocoi Creek High School in January. Both Mansell and Nguyen are members of this organization as well and earned fourth place for their project. Additionally, they made a presentation about sickle cell to second graders at San Jose Primary School.
“It was so fun to present our work to the students there,” Nguyen said.
In February, the club promoted fire safety to coincide with Sound the Alarm, a program where the Red Cross actually installs fire alarms in homes. Mandarin High School Red Cross members had an activity at their meeting where they made posters fashioned after a clock, with each hour representing a fire safety tip. They hung these posters around their school to educate their fellow students.
“I’d say the most important thing we do is spark a conversation and get people thinking about things they don’t usually think about,” Mansell said. “We like to think that with our projects, we are making an impact and showing that we can touch a lot of people.”
Upcoming projects for the club include attending training to learn about armed conflict around the world as part of the Red Cross’ International Humanitarian Law activities and also making comfort kits of necessities for children.
Both Mansell and Nguyen said they have made a lot of connections due to their involvement with the Red Cross Club. They interact with other volunteers who are their age all the way up to some who are retirement age. They also meet monthly with their Red Cross liaison, who provides guidance for the club.
“It’s great seeing our own work put into action out in the community,” Nguyen said.
Photos courtesy Mandolyn Mansell
Mandolyn Mansell and Kourtney Nguyen with their sickle cell presentation.
