Katelyn Kim

It’s the middle of May, and you get this dreaded feeling that you’ve put off something you’ve been meaning to do. There’s an email sitting in your inbox: a reminder to submit your 12 community service hours. Now you’re scrambling on Google, searching for “Los Angeles volunteer opportunities”, when you’re not sure which are actually legitimate or meaningful. This scenario isn’t uncommon for students.

Soles4Good, a student-run non-profit organization that helps women create their own startups, held a shoe drive on campus from April 27 to May 1. Students donated shoes in designated shoe bins on campus, donating items ranging from beach sandals to used sneakers. The organization aims to support women in launching their own businesses selling used shoes, and has partnered with various schools across Los Angeles, including Curtis School, Franklin School and UCLA Lab School.

HW CAIRS (Community Action and Impact Rotation Service) hosted their very first pilot event to launch the program at Kenneth Han State Recreation Area on Jan. 31. Upper school history teacher Erik C. Wade said he created HW CAIRS to be an addition to help broaden the community service endeavors that already exist. “Previously, Community Council didn’t have much of a structure for community engagement opportunities for HW students,” Wade said.