SHS FBLA Sponsors Successful Christmas CASA Kids Gift Project

January 16, 2023

Launch the media gallery 1 player

The Seward High School Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter completed an extremely successful giving tree project this holiday season in order to benefit children from around Southeast Nebraska. Chapter President, Rorie Filbert and vice president Brenna McAdam led a committee of members who were able to gather 40 gifts from FBLA members. This is the 6th year for Seward FBLA to participate in this project that assists our local CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) around the holiday season. This year, a variety of FBLA members and other SHS students actively participated in asking for and collecting donations.

Students from Seward FBLA created a tree for FBLA adviser Wade Miller’s classroom. The tree included ornaments that had information on each CASA child, including the ages, interests, and the gender of each CASA sponsored child. As a result, over 40 gifts were collected, specifically addressing at least one gift for each child-involved in the CASA program. The FBLA appealed to the students at Seward High, and as a result, individual students and families decided to sponsor CASA children.

Once the gifts were collected, senior members Rorie Filbert, Sophia Turek, and Amy Sistek, led the effort to make sure all the gifts were wrapped and ready to go.

“I could not believe the outpouring and generosity of the students here at Seward High” declared Brenna McAdam, the chapter’s vice president who also worked on making the project a reality. “This project exemplifies all the good in people in Seward and that people of all ages really do care about others!

“We are glad that FBLA could take a leadership role in this effort to assist others, stated advisor Wade Miller. “Leadership and Caring are two of the pillars of FBLA and this project fits so well with the mission of our FBLA group. We appreciated how the FBLA chapter and other students of SHS stepped up to help the CASA program and assist us with this project. Thank you SHS and Seward Community!”

Photo: SHS FBLA members who donated and helped with the project.

From left to right – Blake Pierce, Alex Roberts Connor Sveegan, Drew Covalt, Jacob DeGroot, Luke Wegman, Matthew Wegman, Rorie Filbert, Jena Eberspacher, Avery Briggs, Taylor Hostert, and Madison Kramer

Bottom from left to right- Addilyn Sugden, Avery Rodocker, Brenna McAdam, and Layla Sugden