Warwick Valley High School seniors Maeve Sutliff and Alexa Milazzo have created a Winter Warmth Drive that they are sought the help and support of students, staff and residents throughout the entire school district. The drive for gently used winter clothing and new toiletries ended on Dec. 15.
The items will become holiday gifts for teens in need at the HONOR homeless shelter, which assists all Hudson Valley residents in need by restoring their self-esteem and dignity.
HONOR serves as a temporary home to more than 200 individuals on any given day, offering shelter, food, crisis intervention, and support. Its mission extends beyond homelessness, striving to assist all Hudson Valley residents in need through a range of services, including counseling, vocational skills training, and residential stabilization.
Sutliff and Milazzo – consistent achievers on the high honor roll – are completing the National Honor Society service project, a cornerstone of membership that embodies the organization’s pillars of scholarship, service, leadership, and character. Service projects are designed to encourage students to give back to their community, foster empathy, and develop leadership skills that will benefit them long after high school.
They accepted donations of gently used gloves, mittens, scarves, hats, blankets and other winter essentials, as well as new toiletries. Donation items were dropped items off in donation boxes located in the lobbies in any of the Warwick schools as well as the firehouses in Greenwood Lake, Warwick and Sugar Loaf, and Greenwood Lake Middle School and Greenwood Lake Elementary School.
Sutliff said they liked the idea of creating a project to give back to fellow teens because she understands how other high school kids may need help, especially at this time of year.
“I’ve always liked to donate things and help out people, so when we had to come up with our pillar project, I was like, ‘Gosh, we could donate to the homeless teen shelter in Middletown,’” she said. “I wanted them to be able to have a Christmas and receive gifts, too, and have a Christmas just as nice as ours.”
Milazzo said they quickly got busy by making a flyer, getting boxes and wrapping paper, and wrapping the donation boxes. They then reached out to the schools and firehouses, and placed the boxes, before hanging the flyers in the Warwick schools. Greenwood Lake students received a flyer as well. They then monitored the boxes and collected the items when full.
“I loved the idea. I do a lot of volunteering outside of school, so this kind of aligns well with that, Milazzo, who is a two-year captain of the varsity golf team and has played violin for 10 years, said. She also volunteers for both the Greenwood Lake Volunteer Fire Department and recently joined the Volunteer Ambulance Corps in Greenwood Lake. “I know quite a few people in different stations and they all tell me how rewarding it is to give back to your community,” she added.
“I’ve always just done a lot of volunteering outside of school as well, not necessarily the same kind, but I’ve just liked to be as helpful as I can to people, and I like to do my best to try to spread joy,” Sutliff said. “So, knowing that I can do this drive and then be able to give these kids that probably don’t get to really celebrate Christmas this year meant a lot to me.”
The two spent nearly 20 hours on the project, but after the final collection of the items from the boxes, they will decorate them and delivered them to the shelter.
Milazzo has verbally committed to playing golf and attending SUNY Cobleskill to obtain a paramedic’s associate’s degree. Sutliff is hoping to attend Binghamton University but is also considering the University at Buffalo, the University at Albany and SUNY Oneonta to major in business.