As its first fundraiser of the 2021-2022 school year, Link Crew hosted the Savers Donation Fundraiser beginning Oct. 4 to encourage students and staff to donate to people in need.

In addition to its primary purposes of helping to smooth the transition of new students into Arcadia High School (AHS) and working with other on-campus student organizations like Seniors of Merit at Work to run school activities, Link Crew has also made efforts to expand leadership and outreach efforts outside of school to the local community as well, motivating members to hold the Savers Donation Fundraiser.

To plan the fundraiser, Link Crew coordinated with Savers, a second-hand clothing store, as part of FUNDrive, a Savers fundraising program. Members of Link Crew then brought donations from donation bins placed in designated classrooms–A-201, D-108, F-101, and S-111–to Savers in exchange for funds. 

Items collected in the fundraiser, as listed on numerous green Link Crew posters scattered across campus, included most small household items like clothes, bed items, kitchenware, backpacks, and various cloths. 

“We encourage students and staff to donate whenever possible,” Link Crew Fundraising Captain Jocelyn Zhu said. “The more people donate, the bigger impact we can bring to the community and provide for those in need.”

Unlike most other fundraisers, which typically only last for a few weeks at most, the Savers fundraiser lasts from October 2021 to May 2022, giving more time for AHS students and staff to donate items over the course of the entire school year.

Although Zhu expects less donations as the fundraiser stretches toward the end of the year, Link Crew has “received much participation in the fundraiser so far”, finding donation bins completely full in an early October collection sweep – a success for the first year the fundraiser was held that Zhu hopes Link Crew will continue to replicate for years to come.

“Depending on the success of this fundraiser, we hope to continue the event as an annual fundraiser,” Zhu said. “This will allow us to collect more donations to help those in need and ensure a long-lasting impact that will encourage future generations of students to give back to their community.”

In addition to contributing to the fundraiser over the next 7 months, be sure to also check out other events and activities Link Crew will hold later in the school year. There will be events like the Holiday Picnic, Holiday Photo Booth, and Valentine’s Grams, and many other fundraisers to come. 

Photo courtesy of Link Crew