Senior National Honors Society helps with Adopt-A-Family

Published: December 15, 2009

For the past eight years, Senior National Honors Society has participated in St. Joachim and Ann’s Adopt- A-Family Program. This program provides needy families in St. Charles, Lincoln, and Warren counties with both gifts and necessities during the holiday season.

“I have never been a part of anything like Adopt-A-Family, so giving someone presents and making their Christmas better just seemed fun and helpful,” NHS member Pamela Avila said.

NHS was given a family of five. This family provided a list of items they would like to receive, such as a jacket for the father, Robert, and a Barbie House for the daughter, Ashley. Each NHS member was required to bring in a donation.

“[I chose to do Adopt-A-Family because] my church does it and it is a good program that NHS has done for many years,” NHS sponsor Donna Malkmus said. “I got donating the turkey, I always get the turkey.”

Malkmus collected the donated items from students on Dec. 8. On Dec. 12, Malkmus took the donations to the St. Charles Community College Center. The next day, the items were distributed among the families.

“You start out with an empty room, and then pretty soon you have a room full of stuff. We are grateful for everything that is donated,” Yvonne Tihen, the Adopt-A-Family program director said.

Due to the economy, there is an even greater need for donations this holiday season, but those who donated are also experiencing tough financial times.

“We do 600 families,” Tihen said. “We could easily do 2,000. There is so great a need out there and not enough people to fill it.”

That is why Tihen and everyone else involved with Adopt-A-Family is grateful to have NHS helping them out.

“We are thrilled to have NHS work with us,” Tihen said. “We need the help. [The students at] FHN have always been very good to us.”

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