Service, leadership, character, and academic excellence — the four pillars of Beta Club.

2020 has changed everyone’s life, especially students.

However, GRC’s Beta Club refuses to let this stop them.

Beta Club is a community service club. With Covid-19 restrictions, volunteering has been extremely limited.

“We have had a few opportunities to send students to do hands-on service projects,” Beta Club President Emma Reece said, “but we’ve had to inspire students to create their own socially-distanced service projects.”

Beta Club has taken this opportunity to focus on donation-based projects to help out members of the community.

“We’ve been forced to think outside the box,” said Reece. Each month the club has participated in a new donation project.

For the month of November Beta Club participated in packing Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes.

This holiday season everyone could use a break from the chaos around us. We all need a little extra hope to get through the end of 2020.

Operation Christmas Child was the perfect solution.

OCC collects shoe boxes filled with hygiene products, toys, school supplies, and a Bible translated into the recipient’s native language.

These boxes are sent to boys and girls across the world, between the ages of 2-14.

Despite the challenges, Beta Club members packed 95 boxes for the Operation Christmas Child project.

“This not only provides these kids with a tangible gift, but a gift of hope for the Christmas season,” said Reece.

Club advisor Amanda Mills said the BETA students exceeded all expectations.

“This year especially we wanted to be intentional with our donations because there are so many people in need,” Mills said. “We set a goal to pack 50 boxes this year, which is less than previous years but because of the pandemic we were uncertain how much participation we would get. The members of the Beta Club blew that number out of the water.”

The club collected 60 boxes last year compared to this year’s 95.  Beta Club plans to continue this donation project each school year.

2020 has been a year of disaster, but it has also given us an opportunity. Now more than ever before people are in need.

Beta Club chose to persevere through the pandemic to serve both our community and the world.

Follow in their footsteps this holiday season and choose to spread hope.