It was a busy October for Walt Whitman High School’s Girls Leaders Organization (GLO) in their efforts to help their community. They conducted two successful community service events that will go a long way to helping others.
The month started with GLO’s annual “flocking” fundraiser to help in the fight against breast cancer. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the members of GLO have a unique way of raising money each year that goes toward research at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory through an organization called Stand Up for Suzanne. For seven nights, several teams of two girls fan out around South Huntington with small flocks of pink lawn flamingos. They covertly leave a flock on the front lawn of someone who has been anonymously nominated. They also leave a sign on the lawn that says “Congratulations, you’ve been flocked!” That sign directs you to the Stand Up for Suzanne website which tells you what to do next. You can make a donation if you’d like, because there’s no obligation, but then you can anonymously pick someone to get flocked next! Later that night, the girls go back out and migrate all the flocks to those nominated lawns. This year GLO raised $1,250. That adds up to a total of $3,500 since 2020.
Also in October, the girls of GLO held a pajama drive for needy families within the South Huntington School District and the Pediatric Unit at Huntington Hospital. They collected more than 150 pairs of new pajamas, and on November 1st they visited Huntington Hospital to deliver a portion of those new PJs for children in the unit.
The Girls Leaders Organization is an elite academic athletic honor society. It recognizes the exceptional young women at Walt Whitman High School who have successfully balanced high school athletics and academics. Girls who are accepted as members meet a series of requirements in regards to academics, athletic activities, and club participation. A big part of what they do is community service. And the giving doesn’t stop. They’re next big activity is a Holiday Food Drive.
GLO members before their pink flamingo "flocking" fundraiser.
“Congratulations, you’ve been flocked!”
In October, the girls of GLO held a pajama drive for needy families within the South Huntington School District and the Pediatric Unit at Huntington Hospital.
Members of GLO visited Huntington Hospital to deliver a portion of those new PJs for children in the unit.