Student Council continued their annual toy drive for the David’s Touch foundation on December 1, 2016 at WMS to help sick children that can’t go home for the holidays with the help of our students.

Student Council is headed by Mrs. Burke and Mrs. Dymond, and Julia Chepel is considered the head student. Mrs. Burke and Mrs. Dymond described student council as “awesome, amazing, wonderful, busy, fun, and very active.”  Mrs. Burke added, “Be jealous if you’re  not in it!”. Student Council raises money for “different things around the community” as Chepel put it. Every year at WMS they organize special fundraisers like David’s Touch, Pasta for Pennies (to raise money for people with leukemia), and a Breast Cancer Awareness walk. They also do annual food drives for those in need. Other than annual events they “count money, make posters, and plan different things” Chepel said. “Ideas get brought to us and we give feedback,” Chepel added.

Student Council’s most recent project is collecting toys for the David’s Touch Foundation. The council’s members asked WMS’ students to bring in brand new toys that would be given to sick children that could not go home for the holidays. Students that brought in toys were given a raffle ticket and a winner was chosen a few days before winter break began. WMS has been donating and raffling with the David’s Touch foundation for 4 years.

Ms. Pagan (a former math teacher at WMS) started the event but “When she left, student council took over.” Mrs burke stated. Mrs. Dymond thinks that it is important that the school contribute to this cause because “there are other people out there that need our help. Mrs. Dymond continued, “we should help other people that need us.”

The raffle winner was chosen on December 19, 2016. Seventh grader, Nicole Galicia, was the winner. Galicia was “ shocked” when she heard that she won because she thought that “a lot of people brought in toys.” Galicia donated because it was “for a good cause” and she wanted to “make the kids happy.” Galicia thought that it was important to support this cause because she felt that “the children in the hospital were lonely because they can’t  be with their families. So I thought “Why not give toys?” Galicia donated thirteen toys.

Although a winner was chosen, both Mrs. Burke and Mrs. Dymond were disappointed about the turnout compared to last year, saying that it was “not as good.”  Mrs. Burke said that students were “slacking”. Last year over 400 toys were donated , this year student council collected only 182 toys.

Julia Chepel was especially passionate about this year’s downfall in donations. Chepel thinks that “students are not taking this cause serious.” Chepel went on the explain that David’s Touch is a “major cause” and she believes that everyone should “be focused on the cause.” For anyone that has never heard nor contributed to the foundation, Mrs. Burke advises you to “Imagine yourself in the shoes of those little children” and she says that “one little toy can brighten their day.”
Student Council’s next donation event, Pasta for Pennies, will begin in March. If any student are interested in joining Student Council go to Mrs. Dymond in room J or Mrs. Burke in room 6. For further information about the David’s Touch foundation go to https://woodbridge.jcanals.com/files/woodbridge/Davids-Touch-brochure.pdf