Every year, the Student Government (STUGO) designs a unique, class-wide shirt that is available to purchase throughout the year. However, as the academic year comes to a close, they are no longer able to sell these shirts, as many of them feature the year. This situation leads to an excess inventory of shirts that cannot be sold. Senior, Yumi Chan, President of the Student Body, noted, “Every year we have a surplus of shirts.”
Instead of letting these surplus shirts take up space and collect dust, STUGO decided to use them to give back to the community. Senior, Taumi Spencer, Student Body Vice President elaborated on Chan’s statement, saying, “STUGO saw a need and acted upon it. Instead of being wasteful, just throwing them away, or trying to sell them I think it had a more meaningful purpose to find someone in need.”
STUGO reached out to the organization St. Vincent de Paul, a charity dedicated to feeding, clothing, housing, and healing individuals in the community who have nowhere else to turn for help. They were able to find a home for their extra shirts with the kids of Cuernavaca, a low-income community in Mexico. In doing so STUGO found a way to repurpose what would have been wasted into something beneficial for the community. Their donation was able to greatly improve the lives of some of the less fortunate members of the community.
STUGO advisor Lerina Johnson highlighted the impact of their initiative by stating that she “donated about 200 shirts” to families in Cuernavaca, many of whom have never had a shirt of their own, This act of generosity ensured that the excess shirts were put to good use, providing clothing to those in need and reinforcing the values of community support and environmental responsibility.
This initiative by STUGO is an excellent example of how schools can engage in community service. By repurposing their leftover shirts STUGO was able to take an opportunity to help a community. As Yumi Chan commented, “We got to see a picture of them wearing our shirts and it was just really heartwarming. I didn’t know we could have an impact like that”. This demonstrates that even small actions, such as donating surplus items, can have a significant, positive impact on the community something as simple as donating a t-shirt can truly change the lives of underprivileged individuals. The act of repurposing the extra shirts not only demonstrated the environmental responsibility of the Student Government but also the spirit of generosity and care for the community. These children had “almost nothing” as stated by Johnson and their donation showcases the impact of their good deeds. They were able to better the lives of about 200 children. The dedication and resourcefulness of the STUGO in finding a meaningful purpose for their extra shirts sets a commendable example and demonstrates the importance of making positive contributions to the community. That even the smallest of donations can make an impact.
