Peer Mediation hosts winter clothing drive
By Sonja Dziegielewska
To kick off the holiday season with a spirit of giving, Peer Mediation continued its annual giving tradition with a winter clothing drive. Peer Mediators organized the collection of winter clothing, including coats, hats, gloves, and new socks and underwear, to give to people in need. The Peer Mediation winter drive donations will go to Cradles to Crayons, a nonprofit organization aiming to help low-income children and teens in the greater Philadelphia area through clothing and school supplies donation.
“We’re hoping that at least each person could donate at least one thing, and that should be more than enough for the people that are in need,” Peer Mediation adviser Jillian Harris said.
Cradles to Crayons delivers around 20,000 coats and 15,000 sets of hats and gloves annually among other items like diapers and shoes. The nonprofit runs year-round and hopes to end clothing insecurity in the greater Philadelphia area.
“Many of us at Conestoga are fortunate enough to be able to afford basic necessities,” sophomore and Peer Mediator Jiya Gandhi said. “So those who can afford (to give), it would be nice if they can help families who need it during this time of giving.”
Cross-country team donates to T&E Care Holiday Drive
By Raymond Wu, Staff Reporter
Every year, the Conestoga cross-country team donates items to the T&E Care Holiday Drive. This year, the team donated cleaning supplies during their end-of-season banquet on Nov. 12 at the Aronimink Country Club. T&E Care is an organization that provides financial and material assistance to families in need in Tredyfrin and Easttown Township. Junior Sarah Crill helped organize the drive alongside other teammates and the the team’s booster club members.
“It’s important to give back to the community because there’s a lot of people in need in our area,” Crill said. “With cross-country being such a big team, it’s easy for us to help out and even if you do something small, it can make a big impact with how many people there are on the team.”
Organizers asked team members to bring in cleaning supplies, feeling that they are often left out of drives. Organizers then sent the donations to T&E Care, and along with other donations, T&E Care distributed the items to families in need.
Freshman Quinn Kelly, another drive organizer, enjoyed the donation process and the opportunity to help local community members.
“It makes me feel really good about myself because I know I helped other people. I see what they’re going through, and it really makes me want to do more,” Kelly said.
Organizers also found the drive presented an opportunity for team bonding. Kelly found that donating to the drive helped promote a greater sense of community between team members.
“It’s a bonding experience,” Kelly said. “Especially because it was at our banquet and just giving something and then being able to know you helped out.”
Sonja Dziegielewska can be reached at [email protected].
Raymond Wu can be reached at [email protected].
