Palmer Trinity School junior Janelle Mendez is a perfect role model for today’s young people who want to volunteer service to their community.
Recently featured in the Positive People column of The Pinecrest Tribune, Mendez is president of the Students Fight AIDS Club and over the past three years she has been affiliated with the Sembrando Flores Organization, a faith-based HIV/AIDS and social service organization in Homestead. The ministry focuses on providing humane care, personal advocacy and social activism.
Mendez organized a toy drive in October and collected more than 400 toys that will be distributed to needy families during the Christmas holidays.
Later in the month, Mendez coordinated a second toy drive with a Halloween theme to collect toys and money for children that have family members affected by AIDS. On Oct. 29, people were invited to experience a night of scary clowns, circus food and drinks, with an entrance fee of an unwrapped toy or gift card to benefit the Sembrando Flores Organization.
“A small gift can mean so much to a child,” said Mendez. “It’s a privilege and an honor to have successfully organized this year’s Halloween toy drive.
For more information, visit www.sembrandoflores.org.
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