Students
in
Susan
Gonzalez's
family
and
consumer
science
(FACS)
and
nutrition
courses
at
Forest
Park
High
School
used
the
knowledge
and
skills
they've
learned
in
class
to
give
back
to
those
in
need.
After
a
how-to
lesson,
students
created
handmade
fleece
blankets
to
donate.Gonzalez started the blanket project a few years ago. Her students made blankets for families in Puerto Rico who suffered devastating losses during Hurricane Maria. This year, the blankets were donated to a local Action in Community Through Service (ACTS) shelter to facilitate the distribution to those in need.
"My independent living classes and members of our Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) club participate in this activity. Providing people in need with a warm blanket is the kind of community service we love participating in," Gonzalez explained.
This year, Gonzalez was able to overcome the challenge of providing all of her in-person and virtual students with supplies to complete the project. Teamwork was still fostered with virtual students joining in-person students using Zoom. Working together allows students to encourage and help each other while creating the blankets.
Gonzalez's lessons in altruism extended to her nutrition class, where she challenged her students to raise awareness about hunger in the community through various projects.