MHS - ASTRA is #1 Again!

Several ASTRA club members pose with the 1st place award
Back row, L to R, Sonja Silva, Mikallya Brown, Taylee Neubauer, Chelsey Goble, Kaylee Isom, and Kali Cross.
Front row, L to R, Lauren Bony, Emily Wolverton, Karleigh Schrick, Kia Peters (holding trophy), and Stephanie Speck.

Our ASTRA club at Montrose High School did it again -- their service projects earned them the distinction of a 1st Place award from Altrusa International. Yes, we said International -- their altruistic activities for the 2009-2010 year were judged #1 in the world. Again. MHS ASTRA Club has won the 1st place award 6 times out of the past 7 years (and they took home the 3rd place award during that 7th year).

What did these high school students do to deserve this honor? Here is an excerpt describing their projects during just one year:

Their goal at the beginning of the year was to adopt at least 3 local projects and 1 international project. They exceeded that goal by completing 9 local projects and 3 international projects.

Community Youth ProjectsCurtis’s Cases - Over several months, ASTRA gathered lightly used duffle bags and new personal hygiene items for their Curtis’s Case Project. The “cases” were donated to the Drug Endangered Children’s Program. The cases will provide youth with a “space of their own” when many times they are removed from homes that are so contaminated that all belongings must be abandoned. The girls made fleece blankets and assembled the cases. Each case included the following: a blanket, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and other age-appropriate items like crayons and coloring books.

Literacy and Litter League Environmental Project – ASTRA and Altrusa volunteers did more than just collect trash for the landfill on stretches of several roads They sorted through roadside trash to separate recyclable plastic and glass containers and metal cans from non-recyclable trash and arranged for appropriate pick-up and disposal.

Tandem Families –The club purchased Christmas presents for 30 needy area youth. The club shopped for and wrapped the presents. Tandem Families serves challenged youth through methamphetamine recovery support, family mentoring, parenting classes, and teen support groups.

Run 4 Shelter – Club members distributed water bottles and provided volunteer support for the race that supports Girls on the Run. “This after school program uses the power of running to help prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living. The girls train together to walk or run the 5K event, leaving with a stronger sense identity and understanding of what it means to be part of a team and the community.”

Voices for Children - ASTRA members served as volunteers for a fundraiser to benefit a nonprofit organization that “endeavors to ensure that abused, neglected and abandoned children who have become dependents of the Montrose County Court will have a safe and permanent home."

School Youth Projects
Teen Breast and Cervical Cancer – The club hosted a workshop about teen breast and cervical cancer issues. Altrusans supplied brunch items and ASTRA members participated with their mothers. This event tied into our participation in the Bosom Buddy Walk-Run and our $250 donation to support local teens impacted by breast cancer.

Teen Personal Safety Workshop- The club invited a member of the Montrose Police to present a program giving tips and information for personal safety and awareness, an important awareness activity for members leaving for college.

Youth Experiencing Grief - ASTRA members served as coat checkers and servers for Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado’s benefit gala. The club donated all of their tips from coat checking to support the Youth in Grief program.

Earth Day - Club members gathered to help install a 6’ Colorado Blue Spruce at the high school on Earth Day.

International Youth Projects
Schools in Nepal - ASTRA members purchased and shopped for school supplies to send with an Altrusan visiting Nepal. The club also sent a $300 donation to fund school projects in 4 remote Sherpa villages. In addition to supplying greatly needed school supplies, the funds renovated a playground/soccer field and provided winter clothing to students learning in unheated schools.

Pocket Flag Project - The goal of the Pocket Flag Project is to get as many pocket flags as possible into the pockets of our young soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Three hundred small American flags were properly folded into the traditional triangle. Along with a personal note written by an ASTRA member, the following message was included: “A flag for your pocket so you can always carry a little piece of home. We are praying for you and we are proud of you. Thank you for defending our country and our freedom."

Pennies for Peace - Members read Listen to the Wind (an elementary version of Three Cups of Tea) to students at Pomona Elementary School and placed a donation container there for Central Asia Institute’s, Pennies for Peace program.