OUR TURN: These students are PALS to the world
A casual observer glancing at the front page of the Wednesday Daily Tribune might have seen two stories about Marble Falls High School students assisting victims of a tragedy.
What the reader probably didn’t know, unless he or she read both stories, is the same group of students are leading the relief efforts.
Their hard work and dedication belie the common belief that today’s teens are slackers who care little for the world and who have no stamina for hard work or sacrifice.
That couldn’t be any further from the truth in the case of these classmates.
The group in both cases is the Peer Assistance and Leadership Students, seniors who mentor younger pupils. They are to be commended for their good and unselfish deeds.
But a compliment should also be extended to their adviser, teacher Rebecca Gigliotti. Under her guidance, the group has gone far. She has nurtured their desire to help their fellow man by encouraging their enthusiasm and stoking the flames of civic responsibility.
These students set a fine example for their peers and the rest of the community to follow.
For those who didn’t see the stories, PALS has undertaken two efforts to bring succor to those in need.
In one, PALS raised funds during the past month to assemble more than 100 relief kits. The units will be delivered to Haiti through a program campus officials learned about at the First United Methodist Church of Marble Falls.
The students attempted to raise about $1,200 to assemble kits containing personal hygiene items — such as soap and bandages — to send to the earthquake-ravaged nation.
The students haven’t forgotten the estimated 1.5 million homeless and hundreds of thousands of dead, even though the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that leveled Port au Prince hit Jan. 7.
“If we don’t help, then we don’t know who will,” said senior Cameron Venghaus. “Just because a few months have passed doesn’t mean we should forget about the (Haitian) people.”
What a wonderful sentiment, and all the more powerful because it comes from the heart of a young person filled with compassion.
In the second relief effort, PALS students banded together to help the family of a Marble Falls woman who suffered severe burns in an accident at her home Feb. 14.
Maria Ruiz was burning brush in her yard around noon when the flames flashed, igniting her clothing and causing third-degree burns, firefighters said.
The mother of three was taken to San Antonio’s Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, where she’s being treated. Her three daughters are dividing their time between school and going to see their mom.
PALS raised money to help the girls defray the costs of travel, and also solicited donations or gift cards from area civic groups, including the Rotary and Lions clubs.
Also due some praise for their efforts are the National Honor Society and the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America at the high school.
Hats off to all of these students for a fine job. And the next time you hear someone saying today’s youth are too self-absorbed to care about about anything besides themselves, just remember the PALS and their efforts to make the world a better place.
The River Cities Daily Tribune editorial board includes Dan Alvey, Amber Alvey Weems, Thomas Edwards, Chris Porter and Daniel Clifton.