Service Project Supports Youth Facing Homelessness

On March 3, Vicki Sokolik, founder of Starting Right, Now and a nationally recognized advocate for unaccompanied homeless youth, visited the eighth grade class to share stories about the young people she serves and the impact of her organization in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

Over the last four community service days, eighth grade students worked on a “Birthday in a Box” project, creating celebratory boxes filled with cake mix, frosting, cards, small gifts, and student-designed pillowcases and wall decals to help young people in the Starting Right, Now program feel valued and celebrated on their birthdays. Emersyn Dunton ’30 and Meredith Young ’30 represented their classmates by presenting the boxes to Sokolik during her visit.