Sherwood High School, Planting Seeds of Service with The Chelsea Hicks Foundation

What started as a single visit to a Sherwood High School Leadership class quickly grew into something much bigger.

After learning about the mission of The Chelsea Hicks Foundation and its Chelsea’s Closet program, students felt inspired to step in and serve in meaningful and lasting ways. What began as a single classroom visit quickly grew into a broader commitment to giving back, planting seeds of service throughout the Sherwood High School community.

That first spark did not fade once the bell rang or the volunteer day ended. Instead, it continued to grow.

In January, Sherwood High School Leadership organized a community wide supply drive for Chelsea’s Closet. Short in length but mighty in impact, the drive ran from January 12 through January 16 and brought the entire student body into the mission. To make it even more engaging, the Leadership team added a little friendly competition between grade levels, with each class assigned a specific item to collect for children facing hospital stays.

The results were nothing short of incredible!

• Freshmen collected 210 crayons and colored pencils
• Sophomores gathered 235 coloring books
• Juniors brought in 124 stickers
• Seniors delivered an astounding 523 bottles of bubbles

There truly are no words to express the outpouring of magical gifts that will bring smiles, laughter, and moments of joy to children who need it most. When three members of the Sherwood High School Leadership team pulled up to our Chelsea Hicks Foundation warehouse with a truck bed packed full of donation bags, we were overwhelmed. The joy we felt in that moment is hard to describe.

Proud yet humble, they unloaded and carried every bag inside. Seeing the volume of donations was incredible, but knowing these gifts came straight from the hearts of students made them even more meaningful. Never before had we witnessed such an extraordinary outpouring in such a short amount of time.

That same morning, Sherwood High School showed up once again through service.

Nine students from Sherwood High School’s National Honor Society spent the morning volunteering in our warehouse, helping prepare for upcoming hospital visits. A large shipment of baby onesies and costumes needed to be tagged and processed, everything from dinosaurs and dragons to Minnie Mouse and ladybugs. They carefully folded and packaged blankets and worked steadily through every project with focus and care.

Together, they completed work that would have taken our small team more than a week to finish.

What makes Sherwood High School so special is not just what they do, but how they do it. Their commitment to service shows up in multiple ways, creating a larger and more meaningful impact. Leadership students, National Honor Society members, staff, and the broader community all stepped forward with one shared purpose, to give back and make a difference.

We hope, just as much as we know, that these experiences have touched their hearts as well. That they carry with them the understanding that they made a difference in the lives of children during some of the hardest moments those families will ever face.

The staff, students, and community of Sherwood High School continue to inspire us with their dedication and generosity. Through their partnership with The Chelsea Hicks Foundation, they are creating a culture of service that touches countless lives.