Central’s Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) program began hosting a clothing drive on Oct. 27 as part of its LET IV – fourth year JROTC students – Service-Learning Project. The drive aims to raise donations of new or gently used winter clothing items, shower amenities and bed sheets for homeless veterans in Omaha. So far, they have raised 25million.
Leadership Education and Training is a core component of the JROTC curriculum that teaches high school students’ leadership, citizenship, and personal responsibility skills. Service-learning provides LET IV Cadets an opportunity to manage a service-learning project, using several project management tools.
First Sergeant Angel Aguirre and Cadet Captain Jakob Kuhn, both seniors, have taken charge of this service-leading project. This isn’t their first time managing such a project, as they co-led last year. JRTOC volunteered at a Veterans Affairs home, where they helped set up Christmas decorations while chatting with the veterans. Although the project is completely student-led, organizing the drive required help from Major Ryan Cripps, Central’s JROTC instructor.
“Over the summer, Major Cripps was fortunate enough to meet a representative from New Visions Homeless Services, and he got a business card from her, so we just took that idea and ran with it,” Kuhn said.
New Vision Homeless Services is a nonprofit organization that fulfills basic human needs of shelter, food, clothing and safety for homeless individuals. It has a campus in Council Bluffs and a veterans’ campus in Omaha; donations will go to the veteran’s campus.
New Visions accept in-kind donations, supplies that will help with their missions. Although they cannot accept every item due to storage limitations, they accept many new and used items. Among their most needed donations are men’s deodorant, soap, shampoo and conditioner. JROTC was given a list of products to collect by the volunteer they were put into contact with.
Getting the ball rolling on the project was a complex process.
“About a month prior to starting here at Central, we reached out, and it was a bit confusing because my card wasn’t for their volunteer coordinator. But once I was able to get in contact with her, it was very easy,” Kuhn said.
“It’s heartwarming to see all the people who are willing to come and donate…seeing the box fill up with more and more bags,” Kuhn said.
The typical bag JROTC used for donations was a garbage bag, but they did also use two large plastic bags. They have collected almost 20 bags thus far, and an added five bags of hygiene products and shower amenities.
Kuhn feels that the project has helped them further their independence.
“We’ve really grown into that independence and being able to organize things ourselves, and it goes into what we want to do after high school as well,” Kuhn said.
