This Christmas, many families in need received gifts—if not for the Community Empowerment and Leadership Club, that wouldn’t have happened.

For many students, doing something for the community is very beneficial. BHS offers a chance to give back to our community through the newly formed Community Empowerment and Leadership Club.

The main purpose of the club is to allow students to have real conversations about issues in the community that they want to address, and most importantly, give teenagers leadership roles and an opportunity to exercise their creativity in forming action plans.

Girls soccer coaches Meghan Fligg and Lee Docherty are the club’s advisors. Fligg said the club’s goal is to help the community through any means possible, and wants to expand the demographic of students they are working with.      

“The club’s motive and purpose is very important, and it’s a very cool way to get involved in the community,” said Junior Lexi Papvasiliou, president of the Community Empowerment and Leadership Club.

Papavasiliou said the club has already participated in a substance abuse awareness project, and a sleepout soccer-thon. The soccer-thon is an event that helps bring awareness to the situations that surround homelessness.

A participant in the soccer-thon, Junior Chloe Higgins said staying awake for one night causes major exhaustion, especially when you are playing soccer throughout the night.

“I don’t know how homeless people can function when getting a minimal amount of sleep each night. We don’t notice who goes through that and the soccer-thon gives you a new perspective. It reinforces how we should look out for everyone, especially because we aren’t aware of what people go through everyday,” said Higgins.      

Fligg said that even though a large group plays soccer who are involved with the club, everyone is welcome.

“I am very happy with the progress the club is making because we are a group who not only talks about social issues, but we make a plan of action and follow through,” said Fligg.

“We are definitely starting to make an impact on the community. We are growing as a club and we will continue to grow and expand through Cape Cod,” said Papvasiliou.

Fligg said she hopes to continue to bring in new students, and establish strong relationships with individuals and organizations they are working with.

For the club’s upcoming project, the team hopes to work with an organization that supports women and children in difficult situations.