Goffstown High School has taken a tremendous lead in instilling the essence of making an impact on the community! Within this past school year, students have conducted various powerful initiatives for the betterment of those who are experiencing hardships. Junior, Maddox Turck, who initiated two of the initiatives, and sophomore, Avery Boisvert sat down with us to explain the details of two of the coordinated efforts with Farnum Center.
Makin’ It Happen were elated to learn our Youth Leadership Training that Maddox participated in this past Fall was the catalyst for the projects for patients of Farnum Center! After brainstorming with his peers about ways they can better their community, inspiration struck. He, along with the other members of Peer Outreach developed a strategy. With support from advisors, Diane McCarthy of Crispin’s House, and John Webb, the Student Assistant Program Coordinator, planned two initiatives for The Holidays and Easter. The holiday project consisted of fulfilling special gift requests for 27 children, while Easter focused on creating baskets for 60 people! However, both endeavors came with their own obstacles, as the students and faculty found themselves on a very short time constraint. Maddox and Avery noted that the entire Peer Outreach group only had a week to prepare and deliver the gifts and baskets to Farnum Center. Regardless of this factor, they made it happen!
The impact they created was met with excitement and gratitude from patients at Farnum Center. As it can be very hard to see people who are experiencing turmoil in their lives, Maddox recounted making a tangible difference made him feel emotional. He highlights how, independent of multifaceted factors people feel define them, he wants “to show everyone needs help, it doesn’t matter who it is.” Maddox notes regardless of financial status, background, race, ethnicity, etc. adults need help too, and he would like to see more normalization of and opportunities for youth making a difference in the lives of adults.
We are so proud of these youth envisioning change they can make and making progression in their communities. Stay on the lookout, because in addition to the initiatives highlighted here, they are actively planning for more projects to help others! Way to go Goffstown High School!