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The National Junior Honor Society at Hazelwood Northwest Middle School is a recipient of a 2010 Outstanding Service Project Award for a project called “Bundles of Love” for the St. Louis Crisis Nursery.

The Outstanding Service Project award recognizes National Honor Society and National Junior Honor Society chapters that make significant community service contributions at the local level. Projects submitted for the award are judged based on goals and organization, service impact, involvement, and the quality and clarity of a written summary. This year, five NHS and five NJHS schools received the award.

The “Bundles of Love” service project was conducted in 2008-2009. The purpose was to collect basic essentials for babies such as diapers, formula, blankets, bottles and more.

Morgan Reichert, an eighth grader, is the chapter’s secretary. The contest required the application be completed and submitted by a student. Chapter sponsors Emem Ituen, seventh grade social studies teacher, and Michaela Thomas, eighth grade guidance counselor, approached Reichert with the opportunity of being responsible for the application.

Reichert wrote the essay about the project to explain why their chapter chose to work with the nursery. She worked with her co-officers for the application – Kirsten Henderson, president; Jordyn Wilson, treasurer; and Rachel Foister, vice president.

“We worked really hard and spent a lot of time on the project,” said Reichert. “The hard work and time paid off for everyone.”

To support the nursery, the chapter held a spirit week. Each day had a theme and students had to bring an item to participate. They also accepted cash donations, sold pizzas and made hug blankets – fleece blankets tied in knots at the edges – to donate to the nursery.

The sponsors are proud of the student’s efforts.“It really made me feel like the work we did was really needed,” said Thomas. “Charity is important and you do make a difference.”

“We try to look beyond the box and teach the students that the world is greater than where we live, and that we are our brother’s keeper,” said Ituen.

The chapter has worked with the nursery, Make A Wish Foundation and Meds and Food for Kids to support relief in Haiti after the earthquake in early January. They have collected pull tabs for Ronald McDonald House and donated school supplies and personal care items to the International Institute of St. Louis.

“To do what we’ve done in a short amount of time is noteworthy,” said Ituen. (story courtesy of Hazelwood Communications Dept.)

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