This school club plans to raise money to buy grocery cards and organize food drives to feed the hungry. Students want to volunteer their time to work at shelters in the cold winter months. They hope to donate an abundance of clothing and blankets to comfort those without such privileges. Their goal is to help better the lives of those without a roof above their heads and no place to call their own. And they will. Because in this club’s eyes, the homeless are not hopeless.

Last month, NHHS had its annual Club Rush where students walked through the courtyard and got a sneak peak at the different organizations on campus before signing up for their favorite ones. Many new activities were introduced to the student body this year, but one that seemed to gain the most interest from people was “Homeless Not Hopeless”. Senior club president, Emma Botros’s organization raises awareness for the homeless through volunteer work at shelters and fundraisers to feed and clothe those without a place to call home in the Newport-Mesa community. Her first experience with helping those in need was in third grade when she worked at an EDAR portable house where she found her love . Throughout the years she has come to realize that even though the homeless are often viewed as careless or unmotivated, they are real people who deserve to be seen as equals in society. “I discovered that [they] are not drug addicts, [they] are not criminals, and they are not hopeless. They are just normal people caught in a bad situation at a bad time,” explains the club president.

Though her campaign ideas are still in the works, Botros plans to take her club from the classroom and into local shelters like Mercy House, so students will have a better understanding of the lifestyle the homeless endure. “Working with the homeless has opened up my heart, and really changed me as a person and I want to raise awareness for the truth about these inspiring individuals,” she shares. When Botros and her team work at Mercy House, they will spend their Sunday evenings setting up sleeping mats and serving meals to the homeless, and she hopes the activity will improve students’ perception and compassion for the less fortunate. “Homeless people are judged for not who they are, but the state at which they are in. I need people to open their eyes and minds and understand that these individuals are incredible human beings who just need a little help,” she says.