Pendleton High School ASTRA service club members pose after making care packages for cancer patients undergoing treatment at the local hospital. (InterMountain Education Service District/Contributed Photo)

Club wins service award for intergenerational project

PENDLETON — Students in a service club at Pendleton High School made care packages for patients undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatments at the local hospital.

The Pendleton High School ASTRA club is the largest service club at the school, with about 45 members. The club received a grant of $748 dollars from the Altrusa International Foundation, the parent organization of the club’s affiliate, Altrusa International of Pendleton.

Kyah Hunter, the 2023-24 club president, conceived of the project in honor of her softball pitching coach, Jordan Bennett, who died from cancer. Hunter and her service chair, Torie Estrada, wrote and applied for the grant together. This school year’s club president, Brielle Bonzani, along with other members of the club, organized putting the bags together and delivering them to the CHI St. Anthony Cancer and Coumadin Clinic in Pendleton.

Margaret Gianotti, ASTRA liaison for Altrusa of Pendleton, said this year’s project expanded over last year’s version. They made 20 bags for the hospital to hand out instead of 15, and the bags were bigger, too, she said. An Altrusa member donated them, Gianotti said, after the club’s bags in the first year weren’t sturdy enough.

“The girls did the research themselves with the cancer center to find out what things would be of comfort when you’re sitting in a chemo chair or getting radiation,” Gianotti said.

The grant money was combined with a donation from a Pendleton Altrusa member, who provided colorful bags for the contents. The care kits included fleece lap blankets, crossword and sudoku puzzle books, lip balm, hand cream and other small items to provide comfort to patients receiving treatment. Everything was purchased new to maintain sanitation standards.

Gianotti said when the club delivered the bags, staff at the clinic had tears in their eyes, knowing they could find the patients who needed their spirits lifted the most.

“All the stuff was quality and they were blown away,” she said.

Service award

The club also celebrated its first place win at the ASTRA District 12 Convention, which took place in May. The project the Pendleton students submitted was called “Fun and Games: Developing Intergenerational Connections,” and it served the residents of Sun Ridge Retirement Community in Pendleton.

Students visited residents for about four months, playing board and card games, decorating Christmas cookies and making homemade cards and crafts with them. Some of the residents even taught the students games they loved playing in their younger years, Gianotti said.

For earning first place, the club received three checks totaling $425 that will go toward the club’s budget for the upcoming year.

“What happened there was they developed a relationship,” Gianotti said. “It was really cool.”

Gianotti said it was the first time the club has won during at least the four years she’s been involved. But more important than the recognition is the growth of the students.

The students learn how to organize, communicate, collaborate and lead one another through ASTRA. According to Gianotti, the best part of advising them has been to see their love of service and helping people and to witness each students’ learning and growth throughout each year. And even when they fail — miss a deadline, forget to organize something — they have a safe space to land and something to learn from, she said, which allows them to thrive in the end.

“That’s what has been my biggest takeaway, is watching young people grow and thrive in helping others in society,” Gianotti said. “I’ve done a lot of volunteering in this community and it’s just rewarding to see them go out and build. They’ll build communities in their towns someday.”