Students from across Guilford County Schools will work to make the season bright for needy people both at home and around the world through this year’s Gift of Giving campaign. Sponsored by Four Seasons Town Centre and the GCS Character Development department, the grant program gives student groups $300 each to help others during the holiday season. Groups will receive the funds at Four Seasons Town Centre at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 20. Groups will also receive a goodie bag from the mall in appreciation of their efforts.

This year, 15 projects at 14 schools were chosen to participate in the event, which is now in its seventh year. The selected projects are:

• The Academy at Central – Students plan to lead a “Chill out for Change,” where they will make warm chili and/or soup for people that are homeless in the evenings outside of the school. The students will also create care packages and plan to donate items to West End Ministries, Open Door Ministries and other families in need.
• Andrews High – Students found that young girls in some parts of Africa are unable to attend school while on their menstrual cycle due to lack of sanitary products. Students will make washable clothes that can be used to support the young girls and donate these items to Little Dresses in Africa.
• Gibsonville Elementary – Students with disabilities or those who need additional behavior support will work with the school counselor and psychologist to provide reading materials and other activities for visiting parents with young children.
• Greene Education Center – Students have created more than 100 blankets within their vocational classes for people experiencing homelessness and plan to make more blankets to be given to Open Door Ministries.
• Grimsley High – Students identified the need to provide food and blankets to people who are homeless as well as the need for technology of students who do not have access to computers at home. They will partner with Kramden Institute in Raleigh to bring 80 computers for students at Grimsley High who are without a computer.
• Haynes-Inman Education Center – Students in vocational education classes will provide holiday gifts to families with little resources. The school will host a luncheon organized by the students to bring cheer to those in need.
• Jefferson Elementary – Fourth-grade students will address school hunger in the community by working with the school’s Garden Club, as well as third- and fifth-grade classes, to prepare the garden beds for harvesting.
• The Middle College at GTCC-Greensboro – To address homelessness, youth and adults will commit to sleeping outside for one night and creating care packages that will go directly to people that are homeless within the community. Students will create a documentary to bring awareness to this issue and share with students and other schools.
• Northern High – Students in the Invisible Children’s Club identified a need for families at Glen Haven Center, which serves immigrant and refugee families. Students plan to provide interactive resources for teenagers and outdoor picnic tables.
• Northern Middle – Students in the school’s Garden Club learned about food insecurity and plan to renovate the greenhouse to grow seedlings to give to their feeder elementary schools to help them start a garden. Produce will be donated to Share the Harvest. 
• Northwest High – The “Happy Not Mad Club” will repair donated bicycles to provide to families less fortunate during the holiday season.
• Peck Elementary – Fourth-grade students will survey youth at Glenwood Recreational Center to identify specific sports equipment and recreational activity needs that are there at the center. They will gather the items and create a brochure about the recreation center and the project to share with all students at their school, Murphey Traditional Academy, Smith High and Jackson Middle.
• Sedalia Elementary – Kindergarten students will connect with Alex, a third-grade student who is paralyzed from the waist down and currently in rehab. The students will create “cheer cards” for Alex to encourage him while receiving rehabilitation services. In addition, volunteers will be organized to assist in building a wheelchair ramp for Alex at his home.
• Sedalia Elementary – After School Enrichment Services (ACES) students will prepare emergency kits for elderly people within the community.
• Southern Middle – Various school clubs and advisors will present an interactive anti-bullying movie night open to the community.

Each project team will create a presentation with their results that will be displayed at Four Seasons Town Centre on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is Monday, Jan. 19, 2015.