(Pictured left to right: Emily’s Father, Donor Relations & Major Gifts Specialist, Tammie Manchester, and Emily Stanis) High School Sophomore, Emily Stanis knew right away when her history teacher, Ben Gillett, assigned his students a project to “Do Good” in their community, that she wanted to help veteran families. “My entire life I’ve been surrounded by military families, veteran families. So I knew I wanted to do something to help them,” Emily explained. Emily is a resident of Gaines, Michigan, and a student at Swartz Creek High School. She worked with the Knights of Columbus in Gaines to secure a location, and with donations from local businesses, she put on a spaghetti dinner and raised $1040 for the VFW National Home for Children!

Her teacher, Ben Gillett is so happy with her initiative! He assigns this project to his students every year, hoping the teens realize the difference they can make. The donations from her fundraiser were very appreciated. Thank you, Emily! Local news channel ABC 12 covered the spaghetti dinner. To view their coverage click here.