BELLVILLE — The Clear Fork High School Advanced Sewing class went on a philanthropic field trip on Dec. 14.
Just like the past few years, these high school students made projects to give away to those in need.
The students sewed hats, scarves, and tote bags for the Wayfinders (Harmony House) Homeless Shelter and collected donations from their peers and teachers to add to their homemade projects.
The Advanced Sewing students also sewed pet toys and bandanas for the animals at the Humane Society of Richland County.
This year, the class got an upgrade with brand new Cricut machines. These machines cut iron-on and other materials based on what’s designed on the computer.
They also received a big heat press that evenly distributes heat on the fabric and allows the iron-on decals to stick. They used these Cricuts to design cute sayings such as “Adopt Me, Love to Cuddle, Pawfect” on the bandanas they gave the pets at the Humane Society.
When they visited Wayfinders, the class took a tour of the building and got to learn about the process there.
According to Peyton Salisbury, a junior in the class, “the people there were very nice and welcoming. They were very considerate.”
The other students had a similar experience. They were touched by how thankful the residents were when they gave out their projects.
“The people that lived there were very grateful, especially the men downstairs,” sophomore Rowyn Lang shared.
Later, when the group visited the Humane Society, they got to hand out the toys they had made and were able to play with the cats.
Milee Carillon, a sophomore in the class, commented, “I thought the cats were adorable and I love that they keep the ones that cannot be adopted instead of just killing them.”
Another student, sophomore Paisley Thrush, was happy how the bandanas turned out once they used their new Cricut machines.
“The Cricuts made the bandanas more personalized for the pets,” she remarked.
Overall, the group had a very good experience making their service projects and traveling to personally deliver them.
“The field trip made me realize how a small act can really make someone’s whole day,” Regan Pore, a junior, shared.
All the students benefited from seeing realities different from their own and learning to give back.
Senior Zoe Daniels mentioned that, “for a Family and Consumer Science class, it’s important to learn everyday life skills, and I think using those skills to give back is very important.”
