SPOT Takes SHAPE

BY KEVIN KOPLIN & BEATRICE DUPUY

Cooper City High School’s Key Club committee SHAPE (Students Helping Achieve Philanthropic Excellence) has been cancelled due to financial reasons.

SHAPE, which has resided at CCHS since 2002, is a national organization that teaches students about the inner workings of non-profit organizations and how to give back to the community through philanthropy.

Students involved in SHAPE raise money for non-profits that reflect their mission statement. Last year’s mission statement was to raise money for underprivileged youth. SHAPE donated $1,000 to the Broward County Sexual Assault Treatment Center and $1,000 to 4-Kids, a child welfare agency. SHAPE is able to donate this amount of money because the national SHAPE organization matches the amount of money that SHAPE students raise through their local fundraisers.

Key Club advisor Julie Klitzner received an email from SHAPE stating that the organization was cutting down from 27 schools to 15 schools nationwide, and that CCHS was on the list of schools to be cut.

“It’s a real result of today’s economy,” Klitzner said.

According to SHAPE representative for CCHS Angela Young, CCHS and the other 11 schools were too far from SHAPE’s main location in Aventura, Florida, which is why they were chosen to be cut the program.

“Unfortunately, funding is low right now as most of our donors are unable to give like they used to,” Young said. “We hope to be able to secure additional funding in the years to come and return to Cooper City High School.”

However, because of the absence of SHAPE this year, CCHS have created SPOT (Student Philanthropists of Tomorrow). The club, is a way for students who were involved with SHAPE to be able to continue their work, based on the model of SHAPE. Senior Kristina Orlando, President of SPOT, has already begun planning SPOT fundraisers to take place this school year, as well as multiple community service projects.

“I’m excited that SHAPE gets to live on through SPOT,” Orlando said. “I hope this year will be a success.”

SPOT’s goal for this school year is to attempt to raise at least half the amount of money that SHAPE was able to raise last year.

“SPOT is a really good compliment to DECA,” Klitzner said. “Members learn the true inner workings of charitable organizations.”

SPOT, a CCHS club, independent of Key Club, conducts meetings every Monday and students who choose to join are able to learn how they can have a direct impact, not only on the community, but also on the world as a whole.