Forming any club for school is hard, not to mention during the start of a global pandemic. Amid the world shutting down, that is just what seniors Lauren D’Ariano and Julia Salerno decided to do. The Red Cross Club, a club solely based on helping those in need in the community around us, was formed on the idea of students being able to help others while receiving community service hours.

An idea like this was not developed overnight, and it took a lot of careful planning and consideration. “It was sophomore year, and we had a lot of free time. Mr. Casolo had suggested we start a club to get involved and give back, so we brainstormed ideas. After a lot of research, we decided on the Red Cross. We got the club approved by Stamford High the day that school shut down due to Corona,” said Salerno.

The Red Cross Club has accumulated several members from the senior class and hopes to recruit more underclassmen next year. The club has already done various projects to help the community, including a school-wide clothing drive. Students and staff donated bags of unused clothes and household items that were then given to GreenDrop, a charitable organization.

It is not always easy establishing a club and developing new ideas. Like every project, the formation of this club brought along a lot of trials and tribulations. One in particular was the fact that meetings were held via Google Meet in lieu of live gatherings due to safety precautions. It limited the amount of community service they could do, but as pandemic-related restrictions eased, in-person meetings picked back up. “Forming the Red Cross Club was not an easy process. The day we got the club approved, we were sent into lockdown which made it difficult to recruit members and actually get the club running. Fortunately, we were able to start virtual meetings last year and get a few members to join, and now we have in-person meetings every month,” said D’Ariano.

Since the club’s start in 2020, they have experienced success that did not seem possible during a pandemic, but more importantly, the club has given people the chance to take action in their own community. D’Ariano said, “I’m so glad Julia and I were able to start this club because of how many opportunities we have through the American Red Cross and how we can use these resources to make an impact in our community.” 

Editor’s note: the author of this article is a member of The Red Cross Club