Junior Molly Gerecs, an ambassador of the non-profit organization Jersey Cares, partnered with Key Club to bring a Halloween Costume Drive to the school hallways from Sept. 30 to Oct. 18.
“Once I realized that they ran this fundraiser, I thought it would be amazing if I was able to implement it into our school,” Gerecs said. “I knew of all the costumes I had sitting in my basement, and I thought it would be a great way to use what we thought as ‘garbage’ and give back to kids who don’t have costumes this Halloween.”
Shortly after pitching her idea to administration, they began involving the Key Club advisors, special education teacher Maria Faggiani and math teacher Jaclyn Carollo, as well as business teacher Andrea Mondadori to discuss ways they could promote and inspire people to donate.
Gently used or new costumes, Halloween masks, costume accessories, unused Halloween face makeup and candy pails or treat bags will be accepted for donation. For half an hour of service hours, students must take a picture of their donated items and upload them to the Key Club google classroom before dropping them off. One “costume” is considered three donated items.
The grade who donates the most costumes will receive ten points for first place, six points for second place, two points for third place and no points for fourth place during Battle of the Classes.
Gerecs handmade and decorated the four donation boxes sitting next to the main entrance. Faggiani’s class contributed by making the signs sitting above the boxes, designating each box to a grade.
Whether it’s through Key Club activities or participating in sports fundraisers, Gerecs continuously tries to give back to her community. With Jersey Cares’s successful mission to create and manage efficient, impactful projects that address community needs, Gerecs believes this drive will be a success.
“Because I am an ambassador of Jersey Cares, it was important to me that this drive was run through them because I know that they are solely devoted to bringing magic and inspiration to children this Halloween season,” Gerecs said.
With the holidays approaching, giving back to the community is one of the most important core values to the season. Gerecs is making a huge impact by bringing this drive to West Essex, allowing both students to benefit with community service hours and those in need with costumes they can easily access.
