End 2016 and start 2017 with a bang by doing the right thing. The National Honor Society (NHS), Key Club, International Club and the Minority Student Achievement Network (MSAN) are all doing so by participating in holiday service projects.

Each year, a handful of NHS members volunteer to help out with the Arlington Optimist Christmas Tree Sale. This is an opportunity for high school students to assist people in picking out the perfect tree for their home. Being a part of this process is something special; students have the ability to help families create lasting memories and traditions. It is undoubtedly one of the most popular service events for NHS.

In addition to spreading holiday cheer through the Christmas tree sale, NHS also spreads appreciation for our troops through their involvement in Wreaths Across America.

“Wreaths Across America raises money to buy a bunch of Christmas wreaths and distribute them to lay them on graves across America. Here, in Arlington, we place them at the Arlington Cemetery, so we will get a group of people to go there on the morning of December 17th,” NHS senior vice president Erin Sweeney said.

Placing wreaths on the graves of all those who have served for our country is a gracious sign of respect. It is our way of showing how grateful we are for their valor.

In addition to the NHS events that Sweeney and NHS senior recorder Paige Little are coordinating for the holidays, they are also donating to Arlington Secret Santa as leaders of Key Club. Arlington Secret Santa is a program that assists low income families in paying for Christmas gifts.

“We are raising money to buy gift cards to give to needy families with children so that they can buy gifts and whatever else they need for the holiday season,” Key Club leader Sweeney said.

“We did bake sales to raise money for the Arlington Secret Santa…. We are donating any extra money that we have leftover from these bake sales to Students Against Sexual Assault (SASA) so they can have money to ship coats to California, which is where they need them right now,” Key Club leader Little said.

Another club that is actively participating in holiday service events is International Club. They are working in collaboration with MSAN to collect coats for those that need them during the cold holiday season.

“St. George Episcopal Church asked if I could try to donate winter clothes to families…. There is this family that came from Iraq and they just got here. They do not have anything at all. Since it is winter, we are trying to help out by giving them warm clothes,” leader of International Club Flora Yapi said.

“What we [International Club] do is make the video for the Dailies and get the word out. MSAN is in charge of making posters and collecting the coats,” Yapi said.

MSAN is one of the clubs that is sponsoring multiple service projects during the month of December. Not only are they collecting coats, but earlier this month they also made and distributed food to the homeless.

“We did a food drive where two kids went to get materials to make sandwiches and we all made the sandwiches together as a whole group. Then, we delivered them to A-SPAN (Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network) homeless shelter and we fed around 60 homeless people in a park by Ballston,” junior MSAN member Alex Craig said.

“It is especially important to volunteer now because it is harder for homeless people to get food and warm clothes as the winter comes around. By making meals and organizing a coat drive, we are providing them with these things,” Craig said.

All of these leaders have taken time out of their busy schedules to do what they view as most important–giving back to their community. Their acts of altruism are truly inspiring.

“The holiday season is my favorite time of year because I think that it is such a good time to bask in the universal sense of happiness and joy. It [service] is about taking time to help other people and think about something outside of your own life…. The holiday season is such a constant reminder of what everyone is doing for you, so it is important to remember what you can do for others,” Sweeney said.

Although there are religious holidays during this team of year, this does not necessarily mean that the everyone’s holiday season revolves around religious occasions. Most of the time, people can revel in the holiday spirit no matter what religion they practice.

“For me personally, I am not a very religious person, but it [holiday service] is like that atmosphere of warmth and community that you are supposed to get from religious events, so even though these events are Christmas themed, they are really not religious…. It is awesome to have all different types of people coming together being like a community,” Little said.

Giving back does not only help those who are less fortunate, but it also makes us better members of our community. We might not realize it, but here in Arlington, there are a good number of families that are lacking basic necessities. By donating, volunteering and taking action whenever possible, we are making an effort to make this number smaller.

“People are more willing to give back because everyone is feeling more grateful around the holidays…. It makes me feel good to give back because sometimes we take for granted what we have, like we have clothes and just about everything we need. Some people do not even have the basic stuff,” Yapi said.

If these club leaders can do it, so can you. Sweeney, Little and Yapi encourage all students to do whatever they can to help out. Although there is little to do for NHS if you are not a member, both the Key Club and International Club provide plenty impactful volunteering projects.

“For Key Club, we have meetings every other Thursday. You can always just stop by to figure out what we are doing. There are always [service] events going on, you just have to ask,” Little said.

“If you just ask Paige Little, Grace Stroup, Ms. Wiedemann or me, we will give you information on how to join events, even if you are not necessarily a part of the club,” Sweeney said.

This holiday season, do not forget to give back in some way. Join a service club at school. Donate food, coats and/or toys to families in need. Put money towards a charity fund that you want to support. As Yapi said, “Anything that you can do is helpful.”