By Ed Karvoski Jr., Contributing Writer
Grafton – Fifty students in grades nine through 12 at Grafton High School sharpened their life skills this school year by joining Family and Community Leaders (FCL). While offering support for a number of school and community activities, they learned about event planning, goal setting, problem solving, decision making and interpersonal communications.
Once again, FCL volunteered for the annual Grafton Celebrates the Holidays (GCTH). Dressed as elves, members served refreshments and coordinated craft activities at several of the over 20 stations around town, known as Frosty Stops.
Rachel Lynch, the incoming president for 2015-2016, considers this event their most challenging.
“We started planning GCTH months in advance and had to make sure to have plenty of volunteers,” she said.
Apoorva Indraghanty, a junior and the incoming FCL public relations representative, served as the event’s co-chair with Mia Gremo, also a junior, as chair.
“We had to create a document with all the Frosty Stops and include what the tasks were,” she explained. “We also monitored the Frosty Stops at the Grafton Common to make sure everyone knew what they were doing.”
While GCTH requires lots of planning, she noted that it’s her favorite event.
“Although it was hard to stand outside in the cold, it was great to see how people appreciated all the effort we put into GCTH,” she said. “I loved how all the kids were having fun, especially at the end when they were singing along with us and the Girl Scouts.”
The most enjoyable event for Lynch was Teens Night Out, a gathering for young people with special needs from several communities.
“Their happiness really made all of the extensive planning worth it,” she said. “When I first came to Teens Night Out, I was serious about making sure the event ran smoothly. However, as the night went on, I learned that having fun with the kids was a huge part of that volunteer experience. I learned to let go a little bit, and even danced and made crafts with them.”
FCL recently combined learning life lessons with pleasure for a new project. They collected new stuffed animals and created fleece blankets, which they delivered to the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. Before the trip, FCL members researched several Boston hospitals’ proximity to the MBTA Purple Line because they traveled by train from Grafton to South Station. Afterward, they enjoyed lunch at Faneuil Hall.
Also new this year, FCL created and donated over 15 fleece blankets during the holidays to Abby’s House, a a shelter and affordable housing for women and children in Worcester.
They also assisted with fundraisers for causes including the Diane Blessing Scholarship, in memory of the former FCL faculty advisor who passed away last year. This year’s recipient is Mary Teresa Cuzzupe.
Blessing is fondly remembered by FCL members, Indraghanty noted.
“She had so much passion for the club and that really made me respect her even more,” she said.
The current faculty advisor is Diane Racicot, who feels honored to work with these students.
“It’s amazing how much they grow and learn from these experiences,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to having them do more student-generated activities that they are very passionate about.”
Next school year, FCL will mark its 20th time providing over 30 Easter baskets for children at St. James Parish Outreach, Racicot noted.
“They always say we make them bigger and better every year,” she said.
Other incoming 2015-2016 FCL executive board members are Sarah Perron, junior, vice president; Bianca Carangelo, junior, secretary; Siobhan O’Reilly, sophomore, treasurer; Erin Slason, sophomore, school service representative; and Katie Mason, junior, community service representative.