The National Honor Society (NHS) is one of the many clubs at Miami Lakes Educational Center (MLEC) that is focused on community service and civic engagement, where students work at becoming active members in their community.
One of NHS’s local partnerships is with His House Children’s Home, a private non-profit and frontline provider of residential and foster care services. The organization cares for children removed from their home due to abuse, abandonment and neglect. Here, according to the center’s mission statement, “caregivers make every effort to create a beautiful, cozy home where children feel safe and loved.”
“It can be difficult for these children, many of whom have faced terrible trauma, to feel normal,” said Erica Evans-DeSimone, the NHS sponsor and Cambridge Academy leader. “That is why we have worked to create this partnership over the years, so that we can help His House provide for them.”
This summer, collected towels, blankets, sneakers and 30 closed-toed children shoes were donated by MLEC in partnership with Plasco ID, a local distribution service that additionally donated 62 pairs of children’s shoes.
“I see this as a great chance to help out fellow students and start the year off right,” said Kaylee Miranda, the president of NHS. “Meeting the children was the absolute best part of the entire experience,” she said.
MLEC’s NHS students plan to continue their work with His House, especially during the holidays.