Homecoming week is not just about fun and football. It’s about coming together to support and give back to the community, mainly through fundraising.
Throughout the week, Lemont High School runs many fundraising opportunities. Angela Duensing, a sponsor of Student Council and Homecoming planner, is the main organizer for Homecoming fundraising.
“We try to [work with] local organizations or something that our school sponsors, so [Student Council] kind of decided on a rotation of three different charities,” Duensing said.
These charities consist of Cal’s Angels, Ellie Strong and Hope and Friendship.
“Last year we did Hope and Friendship because that can go to anyone in the town of Lemont,” Duensing said.
In addition, Ellie Strong has been a successful fundraiser due to the personal connection that the Cuiching family has to the community.
“[Ellie Strong usually] helps someone in the community who is suffering from cancer or whatever else they decide to support,” Duensing said.
This year’s charity drive collected money for Cal’s Angels, a charity that focuses on raising money for pediatric cancer patients. This fundraiser is typically run by both the Student Council and the football team.
The Gift Card Drive is a cause that supports students in the community who need it. The gift cards that were collected were only allowed to be in increments of $5 and strictly from local grocery stores.
“Even though the kids[…] all say you are competing against each other, I think it’s ultimately [about] coming together as a community and supporting a bigger cause,” Duensing said.
Every year the Student Council sets a goal of raising $1,000, which in the past few years they have been able to reach.
Just as LHS is able to come together to reach charity goals, students are also united in school spirit!
“I was talking to our new athletic director, [Mike Sommerfeld], and he was telling me that at his other school kids don’t participate like they do here,” Duensing said. “It’s just something about homecoming that makes kids say ‘I don’t care what I look like, I’m gonna join in and have fun.’”
