A young boy went from person to person asking for food. He had no shoes, his clothes were dirty and he held an infant child. Therese Camaligan has seen hundreds of others just like him each of the three times she has traveled to the Philippines. When she started the Give Of(ten) Club, she was inspired to raise awareness in her community about the conditions in developing countries.

Therese’s idea for the club developed the summer after 8^th grade.

“When I went to the Philippines, my family delivered supplies to a whole school,” Therese said. “Seeing how happy it made the kids inspired me. After asking my parents how much it cost for that whole school, I realized that attaining that goal is completely possible for a group of high school students.”

The club plans to hold multiple fundraisers and events along with their weekly Monday meetings.

“This year, our goal is to raise awareness about developing countries, and how school conditions there aren’t as privileged as we think,” Therese said. “We also want to raise five to six thousand dollars, which would end up funding supply packs for six hundred students.”

Each supply pack comes with basic school supplies, a pair of rubber slippers, and a raincoat.

“My parents brought me here when I was one,” Therese said. “English is my second language, and I remember how hard it was to learn and that was with all the resources I had. I feel like school is hard enough. Not being able to have the supplies to go to school and not having the shoes to be able to walk to school is something I want to change.”

Therese wants to raise the money before next summer.

“My family has planned for my brother and I to spend the whole summer in the Philippines,” she said. “My aunt works for the government in Philippines, and she gathered that if we buy supplies there it’ll be cheaper. So, the money will go with me to the Philippines.”

For this coming summer, Therese had the option to go somewhere other than the Philippines on vacation. Yet, she didn’t want to just go on a vacation. She wanted to impact others.

“It was a toss up between funding stuff for hospitals and school supplies,” Therese said. “I chose school supplies because I really feel that if you start with younger people and make changes in their lives it will motivate them in the future.”

The club meets every Monday in Mrs. Winters’ Room. Junior Ameenah Mcknight feels it is for anyone who wants to help.

“I joined Give Of(ten) because I was interested in helping kids from underprivileged areas get the education we’re able to get here,” Ameenah said. “Everyone needs to have a voice and they need help. This is the first club that I’ve been in that has people from all different backgrounds. Nobody feels judged in this club.”

Therese believes anyone can join the club.

“[Members of the club] just need to be students of McKinney High and compassionate,” Therese said. “They need to understand that things here are so much better than other places. They need to have the will to help people.”

The meetings are held with sister-club “For the People” whose president is Rhi Quisenberry. Currently a junior, Rhi’s idea for her club sparked her freshman year.

“When I volunteered with this one group called ‘I’ll Stand International,’ I found out about a foundation called ‘Ashley’s Patients Project,’” Rhi said. “One in four women suffer and one in seven men suffer from domestic violence. I felt like this was something that affects the community, but we don’t think about it often enough.”

‘For the People’ also raises awareness about human trafficking.

“For some reason, I thought these issues were diminishing problems,” Rhi said. “It kind of hurt to know the opposite was happening. Human trafficking is basically a slave trade. I thought we were done with that as a country, but we’re still doing that in Collin County.”

Despite their different purposes, Rhi’s and Therese’s clubs share a common message.

“Even though Rhi’s club focuses on domestic abuse, we both want to raise awareness about issues both inside and outside of our country” Therese said. “It is important to think about the world and the big picture. Even in our own community, there are problems we need to address.”

Therese hopes people will realize how much better the conditions are here compared to other places.

“Everyday when we come to school, it’s a privilege-not a right,” Therese said. “We can’t change a country, but we can change a school. This is not just about the Philippines, but about every country that doesn’t have the funding to help their students learn to their full potential.”