This year’s annual fundraising drive for the Johnson County Christmas Bureau was planned and organized by StuCo, or more specifically, Student Body Treasurer Gage Chapman. 

“I deal with the proposal and setting stuff up,” Chapman said, “but publicity and helping work in the mornings and at lunch involves everyone.”  

Students can donate cash and new or gently used coats to provide warmth and support to those who need it during this chilly season. Those who are in-person can drop off their donations in buckets located at entrances of the building, and there are donation stations set up during each lunch as well. 

Unlike previous years, JCCB is no longer accepting food donations due to safety reasons, so StuCo had to adjust accordingly when they were organizing everything.

“I had to figure out what to do because JCCB wasn’t accepting cans this year,” Chapman said. “Once we figured out what we were doing I had to write a proposal for the administration. Once it was approved, we made posters and turkeys and posted stuff on social media.” 

Chapman then created a spreadsheet for morning signups, as well as giving instructions and setting up tables with buckets for donations.

Enrollment groups, group A and group B, competed against each other to see who donated the most, with group B winning. 

Giant turkeys made by StuCo were hung up in the cafeteria to serve as leaderboards for student donations. Each coat donated was worth three feathers, while money donations added feathers for every $10 collected. 

At the end of the drive, there was a random drawing that gifted a Thanksgiving pie to five students who are enrolled in whichever group that ends up with the most feathers on their turkey. The winners were  sophomores Lily Young and Tanner Vanderwerf, senior Jay (Justice) Roe, and freshmen Deveonn Miller-Davis and Isabel West.

Organizing the fundraiser was a little more complicated than previous years, due to Covid and students who are fully remote. 

“This year the drive was a lot longer, usually it’s only a week long but this year it was three weeks long,” Chapman said. “We also had to find a way to get the online kids involved.”

Despite setbacks due to the pandemic, this year’s fundraiser still provided donations to the JCCB. Because of Covid, StuCo could not count the money or jackets until after Thanksgiving break. Final results will be available then.

“I think the best part about the drive is the end,” Chapman said. “You get to see how much you’ve brought in, but most importantly you get to see how much you’ve helped someone.”