Crafts for a Cause circles around creating and donating handmade crafts to various organizations, like senior homes, hospitals, or charities.
Junior Sabrina Kolas, the club’s president, resonated with that mission, considering her enjoyment of creating crafts and community service.
“I really like making stuff, and I’m pretty artistic. Why not combine a hobby and something that serves the community?” Kolas said.
The act of giving also resonated with Junior Cristina Arellanes, Crafts for a Cause Vice President.
“I love giving back to people because that’s kind of who I am. For example, I like giving my friends and family little presents,” Arellanes said.
Over the summer, Kolas brought together a few of her friends, including Arellanes, and formed the Crafts for a Cause club.
“Truly our intention was just, ‘Let’s make this club and see what happens.’ But we weren’t really expecting how many people attended our first meeting,” Arellanes said.
Although “a lot of people signed up” for the club during club rush, Arellanes was shocked and happy at the turnout of their first meeting, considering that the disparity between signups and attendees is usually somewhat apparent.
“All the desks were filled and even some of the lab desks were filled. We were expecting no one to come, so we were really shocked with how many people there were, but we were also really happy, because that means so many more people can give back, and we can give so much more,” Arellanes said.
The club holds a meeting every other Thursday in room 120 during lunch, and club members can come and create crafts using materials provided by the club. According to Kolas, the club’s approach to community service is a way to offer something “unique.”
“I feel like a lot of clubs already do monetary stuff and food drives and toy drives and stuff like that. So, I needed something that wasn’t already present at school,” Kolas said.
Arellanes describes how their club’s function also allows those who don’t have money to contribute to charity for the children in the Los Angeles Children’s Hospital, whom they donated to in October.
“The children at the Los Angeles Children’s Hospital obviously need the money for whatever is going on, but I also feel like they need just something to make them feel like they’re not just there to get healthy; They also need something to motivate them and help them, mentally,” Arellanes said.
Despite the club not being allowed to personally deliver the crafts to the kids in the hospital, Kolas describes how she still finds joy in the donation and feels empathy for them.
“It was really cool just being there and knowing that it was going to be received by people who needed it and who would be super happy to see something like that. I can’t imagine [that] some people genuinely don’t have any support in times like that, and I just want to make sure that as many people as I can [help] don’t feel alone, especially in the hospital, since it’s already a rough time being in there,” Kolas said.
The club’s donation to the Los Angeles Children’s Hospital was planned to become one of many. Each month, the club chooses a different organization to donate to.
“[Club members] can vote on whatever organization [they] want to donate to, for that month.” Arellanes said.
Though the organization receiving the crafts will change, Arellanes sees the crafts having the constant effect of helping recipients feel seen.
“If it’s for a senior home or a nursing home, they don’t just need random stuff. They need to know that ‘people are here with [them] and that [they’re] not alone,” Arellanes said.
For this school year, both Kolas and Arellanes look forward to the growth the club will experience.
“I hope we can get more people involved, and not just people that are super artistic,” Kolas said. “It’s for anyone with any skill level. You can just know how to write a card and spread a little joy.”