Wheeling High students put Compassion Project to good use

As part of their multicultural literature class, a group of Wheeling High School students raised more than $1,500 to donate to Journeys, a local homeless organization.

Since 2012, Christine Pacyk, a Wheeling High School teacher, has run the Compassion Project, which allows high school seniors in her multicultural literature class to research and identify a cause they can support. This year, students chose Journeys.

Students organized a raffle that raised $900, called local businesses and received $400 in gift card donations, and held a fundraiser through Chipotle.

The students also gathered a trunk full of clothing items, including hats, gloves and coats, from the Wheeling staff members and the community to donate along with the $1,500.

To close out this year's project, Pacyk's class traveled to the Greater Chicago Food Depository and repackaged 1,392 bags of black and pinto beans into family-sized packages.

In total, Pacyk and her students have raised nearly $7,000 since 2012 for local charities, such as PAWS Chicago, The Greater Chicago Food Depository, Feed My Starving Children and Journeys.

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