Every other Thursday at lunch, room 5139 of West High becomes home to the members of Sending Love Club. At first glance, club members can be seen making different craft projects. But the purpose of Sending Love extends much further than just arts and crafts.

   Sending Love Club serves to support the mental health of homeless children by putting together DIY heart plushie kits for them to create and enjoy. The club is perfect for those who wish to help those in need, and “gives creative students an opportunity to help the community in a unique way,” club co-founder Allison Tsai (11) states.

   Upon joining, members are asked to attend meetings as well as make cards and/or heart plushie kits. The club follows a point system with twelve points being the minimum for staying active. Points are given to members based on activity, as well as offered to winners in a variety of fun games played during meetings.

   But club activities extend beyond the West High campus. Each semester, the club visits the homeless shelters to donate and help the kids with their heart plushies. Club members who attend are also rewarded club activity points.

   Founded in 2020, this club is one of the newest at West High. “I decided to create this type of club specifically because I wanted to create a club that’s more geared to a specific audience,” Samantha Jiao (11), co-founder of Sending Love Club, shares. “By specifically helping those who are struggling, I believe that we are able to connect and sympathize with them directly instead of doing basic community service.”

   With the club in its early stages, both founders have high hopes for the future of Sending Love. Tsai expresses that the club plans to “[reach] out to more companies and [spread] love further.” The club also hopes to expand the popularity of the club outside of West High.

    The founders also share the importance of partaking in this club. . “It’s important to join clubs like these to create a movement or ‘trend’ within our community to indicate to others that we need to do our very best to help others as well,” Jiao says. So, if you’re looking for a creative outlet as well as a way to provide for a great cause, West High’s Sending Love Club is perfect for you!