This December marks the third consecutive year that French club members have collected donations for The Bloom Closet charity organization. “My freshman year, I was given the officer position of Activity Planner and I am a big believer in philanthropy,” French club president Sabrina Greco said, “so I thought collecting donations for this organization would be a great idea for the club and school.”

The Bloom Closet is an organization based in Fayetteville, Ga. where foster kids from across the state can visit and receive clothing. Le Cercle Français, Starr’s Mill’s French club, continues to participate in this event because it’s a way for the “students to have a positive impact locally and statewide,” vice president Gray Jones said.

Donations began on Nov. 28 and the French club set out donation boxes all around the school allowing easy access for students to drop off their contributions. There are also boxes placed at the attendance office, front office, and in front of room 656. “I believe it’s important to promote a sense of community amongst both club members and students,” Greco said.

Donations are open to the public and some of the clothing is available for purchase. The clothes available for purchase are significantly reduced from retail price. “Items are either new or gently used. Their mission is to make foster children feel special,” front office secretary Leslie Frey said.

The club officers will load up their cars and personally deliver the donations to the Fayetteville location when the collecting period ends on Dec. 15. “Our plan for this year is to have all four of the officers meet after our seventh period exams to load up our cars, drive to The Bloom Closet, and hopefully we are able to help them sort the donations,” Greco said.

Each year, the club participates because “the drive can alter someone’s life who is less fortunate,” vice president Gray Jones said. This year’s French club officers are all juniors, so together they will work at keeping this annual event alive for the years to come. “The French club was created to serve as a safe place for students to express themselves, be able to give back to the community, and explore the French culture,” Greco said.