United in love
From left, Coeur d’Alene High School students Myah Rietze, Sophia Allen, Maddi Cleave and Amy Corette along with Lake City High School students Hanah Stoddard and Kendall Pickford outside of the Saint Vincent De Paul North Idaho Help Center on Feb. 3rd. The students dropped off blankets, sleeping bags and fleece materials donated by both high schools and the community through the schools' All for AWL campaign. Courtesy photo
In this Feb. 3 photo, Coeur d’Alene High School and Lake City High School student council and ASB officers posed outside the V at CHS after dropping off donations from the All for AWL drive to local community centers including the Union Gospel Mission and Saint Vincent De Paul. Courtesy photo
January is the time to give for Lake City and Coeur d’Alene high school students.
For the entire month, students will be collecting charity items with a theme for select weeks.
“I’m happy we can work on All for AWL together because even though we’re rivals, we all love Coeur d’Alene and the community,” said Myah Rietze, ASB president at CHS. “By combining our student populations we can make a big impact in the community.”
The All for AWL (All with Love) campaign began last year when the annual spirit game and rivalry competition between the two schools, Fight for the Fish, had to be canceled because of COVID. The Lake City and Coeur d’Alene student councils decided to team up through a charity campaign.
Tara Nelson, student council adviser for CHS, said the idea behind All for AWL was to create a spirit of togetherness.
“It was all about the spirit of being united,” Nelson said. “We can be in competition, but also still make a difference together.”
Even though they're back up and running with their annual spirit game and basketball competition this year on Jan. 7, the student councils decided to continue the giving campaign because of its success.
“I think it's really just great for everyone that we get to work together on something,” said Cayden Stone, ASB president at LCHS. “It’s so cool to be able to work together as one community to help people in need.”
Stone said with the spirit game this year, he thinks they'll have even more success with the opportunity to advertise the drives on a larger scale.
Today through Friday as the students return from break, the freshman classes will start off with a blanket drive, collecting new or gently used blankets for Family Promise, which serves the homeless.
From Jan. 10 through 14, the sophomore classes will run the winter clothing drive for St. Vincent De Paul to benefit vulnerable community members. Items to donate include coats, mittens, socks, gloves, pants, thermals, boots, sweatshirts and more.
Jan. 17 through 21, the junior classes will organize the family needs drive, collecting a variety of items for adults and children including hairbrushes, curling irons, pajamas, coloring books, pull-ups, stuffed animals and more. These will be donated to Safe Passage which supports survivors of domestic violence and relationship abuse.
The senior classes will host a hygiene drive from Jan. 24 through 28, collecting toiletries including baby wipes, laundry and dish detergent, deodorant, hand soap and more. These items will go to the Union Gospel Mission Center for Women and Children which serves community members impoverished, homeless or in transition.
Members of the community can help out by donating through a high school student or dropping off their items or monetary donations at the front office entrances of both high schools.
People can also support the Kootenai Humane Society during January through the schools by buying a themed sticker designed by student Eleni King. Stickers are $2, and half the proceeds will go to the humane society.
On Friday at the Fight for the Fish basketball game at CHS, the student councils will also host a statewide student council service project collecting school supplies.
The girls basketball game starts at 5:30 p.m. and boys basketball starts at 7. Donations are collected at the door.
To ensure that all students and their families get to attend, remaining tickets will only be available to the general public at the front offices starting Thursday after school is out. Tickets are $5 for entry and $10 for entry and a spirit pack.
Students will distribute the donations to charities on Feb. 4.
