Students spent their day off from school volunteering. What'd you do?
CAMDEN -- Washington Township High School students took advantage of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service by gathering at the Ronald McDonald House in Camden for volunteer work. The group included class council members whose organization's annual tradition is to meet at the charity house for a few hours of cleaning and maintenance.
The 26 students were led by class council advisors Carol Costello and Bob Gorski, continuing a now 20-year ritual for the high school. Part of their service was in the upkeep of the school's adopted room, a Disney-themed suite reserved for the many families that pass through the facility's doors, which WTHS has sponsored since the new location opened in 1998.
"They do what it takes to make their room look beautiful for a family to stay in, and feel comfortable and cheered up while they're here," house president Teddy Thomas said. "They always do whatever we need done on MLK Day, which is a great service to us, and a benefit to all of our families all throughout the year."
Each year, the students bring whatever the room is in need of, whether it be Disney bed linens, towels, or furniture. Even during the senior class trip to Orlando, the advisors encourage students to bring back unused courtesy bottles of shampoo from the Disney resort, to supply the room with appropriately themed stock.
The suite is adorned from top to bottom with Mickey and Minnie Mouse decor, from pictures and wallpaper, to pillowcases and bed frames. The colorfully decorated room is a top request from staying families.
"It's gratifying to know that it gives the kids a little bit of a distraction from whatever their ailing from. From what we've been told, a lot of families returning for treatment will try to advance-book the room," Gorski said.
The 26,000 square-foot Mickle Boulevard location serves as the South Jersey branch of the Ronald McDonald House Charity, a nonprofit that houses families of ill children being treated at nearby hospitals. According to their website, the Camden house aids over 800 families each year, providing a cost-free and cheerful environment to stay in as they go through a difficult time.
Washington Township is one of many communities and organizations that pitch in to keep the house at its level of service, a help that the organization relies on. In addition to their service, the council members raised $1,000 for the charity during the "24 at the Core" all-day toy drive this past year.
"The kids, they roll up their sleeves and they get involved," Gorski said. "And it's really neat because, we had said to them earlier this is kind of the fruits of their labor, staying up all night to do the fundraiser and everything, this is what it leads to."