Throughout November, the Leos Club led a series of impactful service events dedicated to supporting the local community. The month began with a successful sock drive, where club members collected more than 100 pairs of socks to help keep veterans warm during the winter season. They also collaborated with the New York Blood Center to host their annual fall blood drive — surpassing their goal by donating 57 pints of blood, a contribution with the potential to save 171 lives. Students from the CTE Medical Assistant program joined the effort, providing care and support to donors before, during and after their donations.
Right before Thanksgiving, the club introduced a new twist to their annual Clothing Drive by launching a combined Clothing Drive & Stop ‘N Swap Thrift Shop. Inspired by club member Jasmine Chen’s vision for a year-round thrift space that promotes sustainability and equity, the Leos Club spent nearly a year planning a special pop-up shop in the school library. There, students were invited to browse and take any items they needed, completely free of charge. Whatever clothing was left over was sent to Go Green Recycling, which sent a box truck to the school. The Leos Club loaded the truck, and then they weighed the clothing donations to distribute as needed to local centers. Even after the thrift store, 1,926 pounds of clothing were delivered to Long Island crisis shelters. Go Green Recycling gives the school a certain amount of cents per pound of clothing donated. The club raised $386, which will help fund future Leos Club service initiatives throughout the year.
