The DPHS Key Club is a club that focuses on leadership and encourages students to volunteer in their communities. Every year, they do something extra special to honor local veterans.
Around Veterans Day (November 11), members of the club get together to hand make hundreds of cards. This year, around 30 students met on October 29, after school, to work on this project. The cards were decorated with patriotic designs and short messages, thanking veterans for their service.
After the students are finished making cards they are given to Matt Colwell, a DPHS girls basketball coach and veteran himself. Colwell distributes these cards, which are part of a larger care-package, to veterans living in local assisted living facilities.
“There are three different assisted living facilities that I visit: Angels Touch, Tender Hearts, and Parkside on Allouez. I also send these care packages to Veterans in hospice care at Unity Hospice,” said Colwell.
Colwell said he tries to focus on giving the packages to older Veterans, especially those with Alzheimers or dementia. These Veterans often do not get a lot of visitors and often don’t get to take full advantage of the commemoration of Veterans Day.
The Veterans living in assisted living communities are incredibly grateful for the care packages, but overjoyed to see the cards specifically, Colwell said.
“A couple years ago I had one (a veteran) who teared up. He was a Vietnam era Vet and he said no one’s ever done anything like this for me before,” said Colwell.
Colwell started this tradition fifteen years ago when he was coaching at Southwest. When he started coaching girls basketball at De Pere four years ago, he asked the Key Club if they would be interested in making cards.
“When I approached the Key Club and asked them to be a part of it, they jumped all in. The kids have been absolutely amazing with how much they provide,” said Colwell.
This Key Club card making event also has an impact on students. It makes them feel like they are part of something larger than themselves.
“It’s so gratifying to know that these veterans that we are writing to really look forward to getting each and every one of these cards. All the Key Club members put so much hard work into it, so it’s a really nice feeling giving back to the community,” said Key Club officer and senior Arya Darekar.
All together, students from De Pere High School, along with some from De Pere Middle School, Howe Elementary School, Meadowbrook Elementary School, and Neenah High School, have made around nine hundred cards.
Over the next few years, Key Club officers and assistants hope that more students will get involved in this card making day and will give back to local Veterans.
