Grant County has been “adopting families” for decades, and the SADD Club at Potosi has been a part of this program for several years. Here’s why we are choosing to continue this holiday tradition.
The SADD Club (Students Against Destructive Decisions) is advised by Mr. Fry, the English teacher at the High School. Mr. Fry took over the SADD Club when he first arrived at Potosi in 2017.
Before him, he said Molly Markham (the guidance counselor at the time) was in charge of managing the Club and the students involved. For that first year, Mr. Fry was along for the ride, not sure of how the job was run. After Markham left, he began to take charge of the Adopt a Family project, as well as blood drives and other projects and fundraisers the SADD Club puts on. “I just kind of picked it up and ran from there. And, now it’s just something that we do every year” said Fry.
HOW IT WORKS:
The adopt-a-family process starts with the application of the families. Every year, families in need of assistance apply to the adopt-a-family project, otherwise called The Grant County Holiday Project. Schools and other organizations are then assigned these families.
At Potosi, Mr. Fry is contacted by the county during the fall. “I get an email asking if we want to do it again that year. I say yes, and am given a list of names and items from each family” said Fry.
To keep it confidential, for privacy and safety reasons, he has to redact all names and contacts from the list before SADD can start. Next, the high school students involved in SADD set up the Christmas trees, which they place in the entryways of the school building. “We put it out to the community, and when people come into the building for games, concerts, and other school events, they take an ornament or two.” SADD members make differently shaped paper ornaments, each with a gift from the list written on it.
When a community member takes an ornament, they go out or online and purchase the item. Then they wrap the gift, attach the ornament to the gift, and place them back underneath the SADD trees.
This process seems very simple, and it is, but in the end, it has a larger impact than we realize. The gifts that are given mostly consist of necessities for that particular family: clothing, food, and hygiene products. They also include requested gifts for the kids of the family, who may not otherwise get as many presents for Christmas. Since the weather is getting colder as we move closer to Christmas, more and more people are in dire need of support and community care, which is why this project is such a perfect way for the community to help out.
HISTORY:
The adopt-a-family project has a long history of good-spirited people spreading joy.
The main organizer of the project is a woman named Sherlyn Kleinow. Sherlyn works for Grant County and is our contact person for The Holiday Project.
According to an article published by WKOW in 2018, Sherlyn has been one of the vital contributors to spreading holiday cheer through this program. So much so that she has received an award for her works of generosity. The Grant County Holiday Project has been one of her most recognizable missions and has been in her life since 2011.
“The Holiday Project,” she said, “was started some thirty years ago by Colleen Barnett, a volunteer coordinator for Grant County Social Services.” Kleinow said that back then, they came up with the idea for the project because of the shortage of money. She said that they started to request donations. “They asked community organizations to take a family and provide them with their Christmas needs and wishes. Other organizations heard of this project and requested to be a part of it. That’s how it became known as ‘adopting families,” she said. The idea worked and has been growing ever since, reaching families all across the county. Kleinow said that they now average about 50 individuals and organizations who adopt approximately 65 families per year. According to Kleinow, Potosi High School has been adopting families for nearly eight years.
HOW STUDENTS ARE IMPACTED:
The goal of adopting families is to provide help and support to people who need it during the Christmas season. But this tradition doesn’t just end with the families; it’s also a chance for the students, teachers, and other community members to give a little more and to make a difference together. SADD is led by Club President Maggie Brown(Senior), and Vice President Brooke Traver(Senior).
Our SADD Club President said that she joined her sophomore year, and has been involved ever since. “I like SADD because we get to do fundraisers, and inform people on the goings on here at school,” said Brown. The major projects that the Club puts on are blood drives and adopt-a-family which are supported by the SADD members who volunteer. “We are hoping to get more members to join, and raise more money through fundraising so that there will be a club and a set budget for next year’s members,” Brown added, referring to the heavy majority of seniors in SADD. Senior Katelyn Guiney, also a member of SADD, had something to say. “The adopt-a-family project that we do every year is important to me. I just like that we get the opportunity to help families in our community and get them the essential items they need.”
The adopt-a-family project is all about spreading a cause and serving the community. Schools and organizations all over Grant County contribute to this project every year, providing Christmas gifts for the ones most in need. This project in particular brings to light what SADD Club is about, and what kind of effect a group of high school students can have on the community.