A member of Schuylerville's C.A.R.E. Club plants flowers at Lock 5 as part of a community beautification project.

Aptly named, C.A.R.E. (Community Awareness and Responsibility Enthusiasts) Club attracts a broad spectrum of students in grades nine through 12. “This club has drawn from all parts of the student population; it’s great to see,” said C.A.R.E. Club Advisor Pam DeLucia. “This is definitely a student-driven club, too. They established it from the ground up and they set the direction.”

Students were so enthusiastic about the club, there was a standing-room-only crowd for the first meeting. At each following meeting, ideas were flying as students eagerly shared projects that they’d like to tackle. “You could see that everyone had a passion to help,” said Danielle Dawes, a graduating senior who helped establish C.A.R.E. Club and was its first president. “It was awesome to see that kind of commitment.”

As its first project, members wanted to help the Taras family, who lost their home in a fire. The students set to work organizing a potluck dinner. “All the officers of the club went out to local businesses to ask for donations. There was so much support,” Danielle recalled.

Erika Streim, C.A.R.E. Club volunteer official, agreed. “It was amazing. Usually, first projects are ‘live and learn’ experiences. This was a complete success. We raised more than $660 for the family.”
The dinner also included fire prevention tips from local firefighters who fought the fire at the Taras residence. Lisa Taras, her husband and children were incredibly moved by the efforts of C.A.R.E. Club members. “The students did an great job. We really appreciate it. We’ll be able to buy some of the basics of everyday living—you know, the things you don’t think about until they’re gone,” Taras says.

Local and global projects
C.A.R.E. Club members have also organized river/canal clean-ups, planted flowers near the locks and initiated “random acts of kindness” throughout the school. For Memorial Day, they asked for moments of silence to honor those lost in war. “We organized the moments of silence to help raise awareness of those less fortunate,” Danielle explained. “It makes you realize how lucky we are to live in a community like Schuylerville.”

Danielle, Erika and others in the club also worked with English teachers at the Jr.-Sr. High School to promote freerice.com, a project that essentially feeds both the body and mind. Internet users log on to the freerice.com Web site, which lists vocabulary words and their possible definitions. For every correct definition chosen, 20 grains of rice are donated to the United Nations World Food Program. “Students increase vocabulary skills while also aiding in the fight against worldwide hunger,” DeLucia said. “Now that’s fun and productive.”

The success of C.A.R.E. Club activities means it will continue its work into the next school year and beyond. “I’m so happy we have such a great group here and we’re appreciative of all the support from both the community and the school administration,” Danielle said.
Erika concurred, saying, “It makes me feel so good. We’re all coming together for a common cause—to help each other and the earth.”