The spirit of giving

A longstanding tradition for Wrangell High School students is their senior project. As their high school careers begin to draw to a close, WHS students will organize a community service project to help give back to their community, before heading off to their next stage in life. These projects can vary in size and scope. Last year, students volunteered at Christmas Tree Lane, held ACT prep courses, assisted in amphibian research along the Stikine River, and much more.

Danika Smith is one of several WHS seniors this year. Her senior project was to hold a clothes drive for two organizations in Juneau and Seattle. They spent a weekend collecting clothes, she explained, and the generosity of Wrangell did not disappoint. She and her family managed to gather three pallets-worth of clothing.

"It was so much, that's why we only collected for a weekend," Danika said.

Danika explained that she and her family got all the clothes packed up for transport at Sea Level Seafoods. The clothes will be shipped out via Samson Tug and Barge, who offered to transport the donated clothes free of charge. According to Krissy Smith, there were 101 boxes of clothes, or 2,063 pounds in all. These will be going to the Glory Hall in Juneau, she said, and Seattle's Union Gospel Mission Hope Place Shelter.

"Bobby Robbins actually put it on Facebook, and my mom found it and was like 'Hey, you should take this, it's a really great idea,'" Danika said, explaining where the idea for her senior project came from. "I liked it, because it's such a nice idea ... I didn't expect it to blow up so much, our living room was packed with boxes. People are happy to come together for such a good cause."