Community’s inaugural “Compassion in Action” event, a week-long philanthropic competition between the four classes, began Oct. 20.

The initiative, which combines school spirit with charitable giving and is spearheaded by Junior Class Board sponsor Mrs. Karrin Hawkins, runs Oct. 20-25, with each grade level collecting donations in support of a different local or national charity.
“This is about doing something good,” Hawkins said, “as a student body and for those outside our building.”
That effort began with members of each class board selecting a cause to champion, with freshmen collecting boxed stuffing mix and canned pumpkin for the Vineyard Church Food Pantry, sophomores gathering socks for hurricane victims through the American Red Cross, juniors collecting school supplies for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and seniors donating towels and blankets to the Humane Society of Central Illinois.
While the donation drive supports various nonprofits and charitable organizations, Hawkins said her primary motivator was to revive school traditions that have faded over time.

Since beginning her second stint at Community in 2006, Hawkins said school spirit and involvement have declined over the last decade.

“We used to be more cohesive,” she said. “I just want to bring things back to when I saw students enjoying school and doing things together.”

The Junior Class board, Hawkins said, used to host a talent show to raise money for prom: “We[‘d]… pack the auditorium with the bleachers out” and “$700 or $800 that night.”

In recent years, she said, “five students show up,” that is if the event wasn’t canceled after no one auditioned to perform.

“As someone who has seen it on both ends,” Hawkins said, “I would love, love for [Community] to… be more cohesive and more like a family, doing things together.”

Hawkins isn’t alone in that desire, something demonstrated during Homecoming Week with the return of the Homecoming parade.

The Junior Class Board sponsor acknowledged that the school’s focus on internal events, such as fundraising for prom, has led to fewer opportunities for students to support external causes.

“We used to do things for outside charities,” she said. “I just feel like our classes need to do something that’s not just for us.”

The decision to launch the event at Oct. 20’s Powder-Puff game, collecting monetary donations in support of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, helped jumpstart the planning process, which Hawkins described as “a bit rushed.”

While the logistics of the competition aspect were still being ironed out ahead of the “Compassion in Action” kickoff, Hawkins said that aspect of the donation drive wasn’t her focus.

“The class competition is a motivator,” Hawkins said, “icing on the cake to get students involved. I thought maybe by being competitive, we could create some school spirit that might carry over to future events,” she said.

The competitive aspect, which includes a philanthropic traveling trophy for the class that collects the most donations, is intended to inject some “fun” into the week.

Despite the challenges of pulling the event together quickly, Hawkins hopes Philanthropy Week will inspire students to engage more with the school community and give back to those in need.

“I want them to feel good about themselves for doing something that helps others,” she said. “Even if you don’t have much to give, just bringing one item can make a difference.”

Monday: Sweater Weather Day; Freshman Class collecting stuffing mix and canned pumpkin
Tuesday: Red and White Day; Sophomore Class collecting socks for hurricane victims
Wednesday: Dress as Your Favorite Superhero Day; Junior Class collecting school supplies for St. Jude’s
Thursday: Animal Print Day; Senior Class collecting towels and blankets for the Humane Society
Friday: Pink Out; Final day to donate