This year’s newly added Red Cross Club at Scituate High School is predicted to do big things both in Scituate and across the globe. The American Red Cross, first created in 1881 by Clara Barton, aims to deliver a variety of necessary services to those in need, including disaster relief, blood drives, and general support for those struggling internationally. With the organization’s focus on regaining its presence after the Covid 19 pandemic, it has been able to branch off into different geographical areas, one now being Scituate High School.
President Reese Ponichtera and Vice President Summer Crowley founded the club in March of this year. Ponichtera’s sister, Elena, implemented a health-related club in her junior year in 2021. The club has been largely inactive until sophomore Ponichtera pushed for its reemergence this school year, explaining: “I wanted to bring together a group of dedicated students to push for the Red Cross humanitarian goal; a goal that works to prevent and alleviate human suffering wherever it may be found.…to hold activities and events to educate, serve, and unite communities.”
The benefits of membership are plentiful: the club gives community service hours to members who attend the meetings and fundraisers in addition to providing students an opportunity to assist those in need in their communities. Once the club’s presence in SHS becomes officially approved by the American Red Cross in the upcoming weeks, all its members will receive a certification. According to the American Red Cross, this certification is a way to demonstrate that you are prepared for a wide range of emergencies. This club also provides opportunities to help the community and gain experience with relevant, real-world problems.
The club is currently focusing on its first bake sale fundraiser at an upcoming lacrosse match to raise money to vaccinate a village through the American Red Cross. Club member sophomore Tessa Valcourt is eager to explore the potential of the club: “I would like to see us raise lots of money while having fun together, and I’m especially hoping to reach one of our first goals of vaccinating a village, ” Valcourt explained, “I never thought that could be a possibility.”
Starting next year, the club aims to grow membership through fundraising and related activities. Ponichtera concluded, “The American Red Cross is an organization that everyone should appreciate. They prioritize fully relying on generous, kind volunteers to support their humanitarian mission. That is why I started volunteering, and through this club, I hope to urge others to do the same. The Red Cross is so important in so many different ways, and I want SHS to be an extension of their overall mission.”