CRESTVIEW — Davidson Middle School’s Builders Club, which organizes community and school fundraisers, is struggling to maintain membership.
The club, in its third year, has seen student participation steadily decline, program adviser Kim Fitzgerald said.
"Last year, there were ten or twelve students (in the club)," she said. "Right now, we have three.
"The kids don't know what it is necessarily about. A lot of it is due to that (students) can't get rides or stay (after school)."
The school bus, for many students, is the lone transportation mode home. Many parents or guardians’ work schedules prevent them from picking up kids, Fitzgerald said.
Club members Haylee Files and Angel Harrell, both 14, hope the club continues after they graduate.
Haylee said she enjoyed collecting General Mills box tops, which help raised $425 for the school's general fund. The school collected more than 4,000 qualifying box tops.
Club members also participated in the recent Crestview Relay for Life.
Participation has brought enduring life lessons, members said.
"It has taught us how to treat other people," Angel said.
Such an example is the club’s new-student orientation program.
"It's a new school and they don't know anybody; it’s nice to try and help them," Haylee said.
Fitzgerald, hoping to attract more interest, plans to promote the club at the beginning of next school year.
"If I have the interest from the kids, I definitely would continue (the program)," she said. "The hard part is just drumming up the interest from the kids."
Interested in volunteering?
Contact Kim Fitzgerald, SimpsonK@mail.okaloosa.k12.fl.us, for more information about Davidson Middle School’s Builders Club.
Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown at 850-682-6524 or matthewb@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbMatthew.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Davidson Middle School service club struggling to stay active