Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – Children who are removed from unsafe situations by police and social workers in the state will now find some comfort thanks to members of Presque Isle High School’s FCCLA chapter.
The Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America, a student organization that focuses on community service and the betterment of family, recently collected stuffed animals and new security blankets to make the stressful feeling of being taken from their home a bit more manageable.
“We put it in our daily bulletin that we have here and opened up the collection drive to the whole school,” said TJ Anderson, president of the FCCLA chapter at PIHS. “People started bringing in stuffed animals and everything. We then brought them down to the state convention and wrote thank-you notes for everyone. It was a good time.
“We got stuff from our school,” he said. “Teachers and students came in with things. Members of the community also brought in stuffed animals, so it was good to see that kind of involvement.”
Anderson said any animals or blankets that weren’t in great condition were repaired by chapter members.
The idea for the collection drive came from FCCLA State President Eric Brooks.
“Since April was National Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Month, it was decided to do this community service project throughout the state,” said Anderson. “These items will help comfort children and provide some security during their transition into foster care or other housing arrangements.”
The collection drive was held in March.
“We had between five and 10 full, oversized bags of stuffed animals,” said Amy Michaud, vice president of the local FCCLA chapter. “These stuffed animals and blankets will give the kids something to hold onto during a difficult time.”
“It feels good knowing that we helped kids who really don’t want to leave, but need to,” Anderson said. “Hopefully it will give them a sense that someone is caring for them.”
Each year at the state convention, all chapters participate in a service project.
“Every year we pick a big project to do as a group to bring all the chapters together,” said Laurie Molton, FCCLA adviser at PIHS. “We had a planning meeting and voted on collecting the stuffed animals and security blankets.
“I think our students did very well,” she said. “I had four or five chapter members working just on this, and we collected between 150 and 200 separate items. We used them as table decorations and as a display, and then after being inspected for safety, they’ll be distributed throughout the state. It’s an incredibly worthwhile project. Most people have tons of stuffed animals sitting around that they don’t use, so this was a good way to ‘recycle’ them.”
Molton said, unfortunately, the number of FCCLA chapters in Maine has been “gradually shrinking because there are no more Family Consumer Science teachers to replace the ones who retire.”
“It’s a required subject in states like Texas, so they have a huge group,” she said. “There’s no financial assistance, so it makes it harder for a smaller state like Maine. We have to fund-raise for everything that we do.”
There are 19 students involved in the PIHS chapter.
“It’s been as high as 32 kids,” said Molton. “It fluctuates from year to year.”
At the state convention, which was held April 10-11 at the Ramada Inn in Bangor, Anderson received a certificate for being named Outstanding Chapter Student for his dedication and support to his local FCCLA chapter.
Contributed photo
TJ ANDERSON, left, president of Presque Isle High School’s FCCLA chapter, and Amy Michaud, vice president, pose next to some of the stuffed animals and security blankets that were collected by chapters in the state while attending the state convention in Bangor. Members of the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America, a student organization that focuses on community service and the betterment of family, collected the items that will be given to children who are removed from unsafe situations by police and social workers throughout the state.
Contributed photo
CHILDREN WHO ARE REMOVED from unsafe situations by police and social workers in the state will now find some comfort thanks to members of Presque Isle High School’s FCCLA chapter, as well as other chapters in Maine. The Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America, a student organization that focuses on community service and the betterment of family, recently collected stuffed animals and new security blankets to make the stressful feeling of being taken from their home a bit more manageable. Pictured is just a sample of some of the stuffed animals that were collected.
