Hundreds of gloves and hats spread across the floor as juniors from Jesuit rummage through each and every one of them.
Through the first two weeks of December, all juniors were asked to bring in as many hats and gloves as they could. Incentivized by service hours, almost every junior contributed a pair or two of gloves and hats. PALS member Michael Kelley ’17 thought, “By giving service hours to the guys for bringing in hats and gloves, it really gave them an incentive to donate for a good cause. We came up with this idea in a meeting earlier in the year and almost immediately everyone was on board with it.”
As most drives at Jesuit go, not many people donated the first few weeks, but on the last day, hundreds of gloves and hats came in. “It was really special to see the power that just one class can do. I was in charge of counting and recording the people who donated and it really touched me to see how many people went above and beyond and donated so much more than was needed. PALS is such a good group and I love working with Mr. McDaniel to always find ways to connect the junior class. This project was such a good idea and just getting to be a part of that was extremely special to me,” said junior Jonah Brunel.
The PALS team only expected 100 hats and gloves from the juniors at Jesuit, but in the end, they ended up recieving almost triple that amount. Michael Clarkson ’17 said, “PALS is a leadership group that helps young men become leaders and visionaries in their community. So being able to be a part of the PALS organization, especially on such a profound project like this, really helps me to realize how special and how lucky I am to be in this community. Whether its on the wrestling mat, in the classroom, or out in public, I always strive to be a leader for my community. This hat and glove drive has taught me that being a leader is so much more than setting an example. Being a leader means you have to give something of yourself and help those around you who might not be as fortunate as you. As I saw my fellow Jesuit brothers rally around one another and donate so much to their community, I realized it’s not just PALS that creates leaders in the community. It’s Jesuit that turns each and every one of the young men who walk through these halls into leaders. That’s why I love being apart of drives like this and that’s why I love attending Jesuit College Prep of Dallas.”
The PALS team ended up helping more than 100 people just from the donations alone. Seeing the success of their drive, the PALS team has many more surprises for Jesuit, stay tuned for their next one.
