Selena Qian

PUMPKIN PICK-UP: Brendan Shemer, DECA member and senior, hands a pumpkin spice latte to junior Omid Hessaraki. A portion of the proceeds from pumpkin spice latte purchases will go to CHS UNICEF.

Starting last month and continuing through the end of this month, DECA will be partnering with CHS UNICEF through the Carmel Cafe. According to Jackson Holforty, District 5 Indiana DECA president and senior, DECA will help raise funds in various ways. United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) addresses the needs of children in the developing world.

“The easiest thing was to put in the Trick-or-Treat (for) UNICEF boxes in the Carmel Cafe. It can be used instead of tips and all of our tip proceeds actually go to Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF for October,” Holforty said.

Additionally, when students buy a frappuccino or latte, workers will ask students if they want to round up the price. Money from that as well as a percentage of pumpkin spice latte sales will then be donated to UNICEF.

Alex Gimeno, CHS UNICEF officer and senior, said, “We are teaming up with the Carmel Cafe for our Trick-or-Treat (for) UNICEF initiative, so what we have done is put a donation box in the Carmel Cafe through the end of September and all through October.”

Through this partnership, Holforty said he hopes to help UNICEF to expand. “Because it’s a small chapter locally, we want to help them with the Trick-or-Treat (for) UNICEF and raising money, as well as raising some funds in order to help them expand to different levels in middle schools as well as possibly selling bracelets for the UNICEF organization,” he said.

According to Gimeno, CHS UNICEF will use these funds for the global UNICEF Kid Power program, which aims to end global malnutrition. “There is this initiative called Kid Power Bands, which is essentially FitBits for UNICEF, but they’re not by that company, but it’s the same idea. Basically, it tracks how many steps you have and every certain number of steps, (sponsors) will donate a packet of food,” he said.

According to Richard “Chard” Reid, DECA sponsor and business teacher, this partnership is part of the Catalyst Campaign for community service. “We’re basically acting as a catalyst to help other organizations help the people they want to help. Rather than us (trying) to focus on one group, we’re focusing on helping five other groups help other people,” Reid said. According to Holforty, DECA will also work with the Ultimate Challenge Club at this school in order to challenge UNICEF club to raising more funds for Trick-or-Treat (for) UNICEF.

Holforty said, “My main goal was just to be a catalyst for change in the club, to allow it to expand not only in how much it can contribute financially to UNICEF organization globally but also to be able to grow themselves as a chapter.”