When walking towards the front of the school after a pep rally, students and staff alike have likely seen the Falcon Friends selling sodas. While the name might be easily recognizable, may students do not know what the club entails.
The Falcon Friends have been around campus for a few years; however, they really took off in the 2018-2019 school year when Karen Rumer became the new administrator of the club. Her leadership helped boost the club and gain a significant amount of club members in just a short span of time.
Their mission statement of Falcon friends is to “Make a Friend, Make a Difference” and according to club president Sydney Shoemaker, the Falcon Friends work towards making the campus more inclusive to all students, especially those with special needs.
“Our members work hard to touch every student within these classes by just a simple ‘hello’ in the hallway,” Shoemaker said. “We just want to make someone’s day.”
The events the Falcon Friends plan to hold vary from tailgates, painting fundraisers, holiday parties, and a special end of year prom for students with special needs. While every project is important, the spring prom project is one of the most laborious and fund dependent.
Although the club receives little funds for their events, the intuition of treasurer Raegan Pence has helped accommodate to the situation. During the fall, the club sold friendship bracelets and accepted monetary donations at the schedule walk and the Falcon Showcase. In the spring, they will be hold their second annual Valentine’s fundraiser where they sell chocolates and roses anyone looking to give a thoughtful gift while supporting a good cause.
Unfortunately, it’s too late to join the club, but never too late to support them, according to Shoemaker. Now that football season is over, and there aren’t any pep rallies coming up soon, the Falcon Friends plan on future fundraisers to raise money for the special needs prom.
“Purchasing friendship bracelets, sodas, and Valentine’s gifts all help us fund our events for the students with special needs and their families,” Shoemaker said. “The main event that is supported financially by your donations is the special needs prom.”
The Falcon Friends are, simply put, a group of people looking to create a positive difference in the world, one deed at a time.