By Marin Murray.
In December, senior Hannah Fewkes organized a gift card drive for the children of the Cherokee Children’s Home in San Saba after meeting some of the kids at a church camp in Brady a couple of years ago.
“I wanted to get at least 36 gift cards so each kid could have a gift card, but I ended up with 41,” Hannah said. “So, each kid got a gift card, and each cottage got a movie theater gift card.”
After getting in contact with the director, Hannah learned that gift cards would be the most appreciated form of donations, because it allows the kids to have freedom in purchasing what they wanted. She collected gift cards from multiple organizations and many people pitched in to help her meet her goal.
“It was so good,” Hannah said. “I’m already close with the people already, because I know them from church camp. So, it was good seeing them and it just felt good. It was kind of like a Christmas miracle, you could say.”
Hannah originally wanted the gift card drive to be part of the FFA chapter’s winter service project, but due to a logistical issue, she had to take matters into her own hands.
“It just meant a lot, because I’ve wanted to do something for a long time and every time, I would try to do something I would get shut down or it wouldn’t work out,” Hannah said. “So, it means a lot that I was able to serve and give back to the people who mean so much to me.”
Hannah delivered the gift cards to the Home before the Christmas break and was able to see the kids and take a tour while she was there.
“This experience taught me that there’s always ways to give and there’s always opportunities to help others,” Hannah said.
Hannah’s perseverance paid off and after many months of trying to find ways to serve the children of the Children’s Home, she finally found her opportunity and was able to bless the people that mean so much to her.
“I think it shines a light on the Home a bit, because not a lot of people know where it is,” Hannah said. “I think it brings kind of an awareness to them. I mean, they’re well taken care of, but it just shines a little love on them.”
