This year, a new club here at Carlsbad High, founded by Megan Schoen and Lindsay Nipper plans to emulate the Mitchell Thorp Foundation. It meets the first even Wednesday of each month in room 3102.

The foundation was originally inspired by Mitchell Thorp, who battled an undiagnosed disease for five years and passed away at age 18. Through financial, emotional and resource support, the Mitchell Thorp Foundation strives to help families whose children suffer from life-threatening diseases. Thorp family uses annual events,  private donations, corporate sponsorships, grants, legacy giving and monthly giving in order to help families endure harsh times.

The Mitchell Thorp Club is based upon the foundation in hopes of making a difference in the community.

“I have always wanted to help kids, especially if they are sick,” junior Rylee Skachenko said.  “I wanted to to do something to help them, and through this club it is a good way of doing that.”

Although the club is not allowed to collect donations, they found alternative ways of contributing to this cause. The club plans to make personal crafts to get the children in the holiday spirit. They are organizing a holiday drive to collect toys for kids who will be spending the holidays in the hospital and not at home with their families.

“We are planning to make things to bring to the kids in the hospital and do a toy drive possibly,” Skachenko said.

By striving to help children with disease, both the Mitchell Thorp club and foundation work to improve the community as a whole.

“Our club works closely with the foundation to help promote the activities throughout the schools to get more students involved,” senior Lindsay Nipper said.

Even though the club is just getting started, it plans to make an impact on the community through support and activities. Students join the club in hopes of making a positive impact on the community.

“Students should join because the Mitchell Thorp foundation is a really good organization that we should all support more to help them out,” Nipper said.

The Mitchell Thorp Foundation works with children, but students at Carlsbad High are directly affected by this cause as well. For example, money for medical bills was raised through the foundation for students at our school.

“This foundation is important to our school and community because they help some of those kids at our school like Kassandra and Rebecca,” Nipper said. “We just really need to support them and help them out by going to their fundraisers and such.”

By helping out friends and classmates, students can make a difference in through the Mitchell Thorp Club.

“I think it feels good to give back to people who are struggling, because sometimes we forget that we have a really good life here,” Skachenko said. “It’s always important to help out others in the community.”