This year, Sasha Mashchenko and Katy Cheshire started the club, Helping Hands. Their whole purpose is to make a difference in the lives of the people in our community. They have done work behind the scenes with their club members that have already affected the community. They decided to make this club and combine Cheshire’s service heart with Mashchenko’s leadership abilities.

This is a club that aims to help high school students cultivate a passion for service while growing closer to God and taking hold of the opportunities to help those around the community. They aim to create a safe, positive environment that creates a bond of friendship among the club members. The club provides two service opportunities every month and does a wonderful job at supporting future missionaries and servant leaders. 

The Helping Hands Club has a whole team of students that help them accomplish what they do. These people include: Vice President, Audrey Heasly; Secretary, Megan Brown; Treasurer, Se Hyun Im; event coordinators, Olivia Overcast and Lily Kennedy; and the social media team, Kendall Owen, Ava Hamilton and Blair Thompson. 

They want to provide a place for people to feel comfortable involving themselves in service while also encouraging people in their service-oriented heart. The girls take pride in seeing their club members grow, loving the community that they have created within themselves. 

The club focuses heavily on service, aiming to appeal to leaders in the student body. They reach out to many different people and groups, offering their help to anyone who needs it. The club members need no requirements to join but, after joining, they are required to participate in four service opportunities over the course of the year. 

So far, the club has worked together to do all kinds of acts of service, even finding time to serve at school! They were able to do so many things, some of these service opportunities included, writing 50 encouraging cards to the Pregnancy Resource Center of Cleveland County, helping clean up the McAlpine Creek walkway, serving at Operation Christmas Child, making PB&J’s for the Roof Above Men’s shelter and spending time with elementary school students at Carmel. 

Through their efforts, Mashchenko and Cheshire have created a space where students can grow in their faith, develop a heart for service and make lasting friendships. Their commitment to helping others is beautiful and shows the power of kindness and leadership. Acts of service can make a big difference. As the club moves forward, they hope to gather more people to go to their community and support their cause, bettering Charlotte one step at a time.