Students give WTC crews a Helping Hand
By Hayley Sanders
Old Gold and Black Reporter

Freshman Jill Bader and senior Melissa Poe, moved by the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., have started “Helping Hands,” a creative humanitarian project in which they send decorated pairs of work gloves to the World Trade Center clean-up crews.

“After everything happened there was so much news about the relief effort,” Poe said. “Both Jill and I had such a feeling of inability to do anything. We wanted, like many other people, to be there in New York to help and do more, so we asked ourselves what we could do. Jill saw that there was a need for gloves and boots, the workers were removing sharp rubble with their bare hands. That’s when the glove idea came up. Not only did we want to raise money to send out new gloves, but we wanted to put something on the gloves to let the workers know they were in our thoughts.”

Poe and Bader grew up together in Nashville, Tenn. and have been actively dedicated in organizing other community service organizations and emphasizing a spirit of volunteerism.

The “Helping Hands” project was nothing new to the entrepeneurial duo of Bader and Poe.

“When I was in fourth grade, I started a kids’ environmental club called Kids F.A.C.E. (For A Clean Environment),” Bader said. “The club grew from six original members to over 250,000 members, including Jill. I’ve known Jill since I was in seventh grade and we stayed in touch afterwards through the club. When I graduated from high school and came to the university, I passed my CEO position to Jill, who had been active since her fourth grade year. She had always been a strong leader in the club, so I knew when I left to come to college, the club would be in good hands. Whenever we work on projects together we are always talking not just about the project but about what is going on in our lives.”

In times of crisis, organizations send monetary aid to those in need, but Bader wanted to touch people’s lives in a more personal manner.

“I can’t help but personally feel unfulfilled with just raising money or awareness, although those things are important,” Bader said. “I have always been a very proactive person, and I wanted to do something hands on. The news was continually showing the needs of New York and I thought painting the gloves with individual messages would add a more personal touch.”

The girls have reached out to the community with their project and have received encouraging responses. They sent more than 200 pairs of personalized gloves from both Sherwood and Jefferson Elementary schools.

“I knew that most kids are highly capable of making a difference in their communities, and I have a love of inspiring others to continue the path of community service,” Bader said. “I began by researching local schools in the area and then calling a few elementary schools nearby. After hearing their enthusiastic reaction to the project I knew it would be a huge success. They were very responsive, happy to help and extremely accommodating.”

Both girls agreed that witnessing the children’s involvement and response to the service project offered incredible rewards.

“The kids reactions were what made it all worth while,” Bader said. “They were so excited to help. Often kids feel limited in how they can help, but that’s why I loved this project. It’s a true way that everyone can become involved, including the kids, the teachers, the volunteers and the community. The kid’s messages were touching, poignant and beautiful. It was a wonderful feeling to watch them finish their masterpieces filled with messages. Some were cheerful and silly, others were patriotic and some prayerful. It was great because we never told them what to write; it came straight from them.”

Poe elaborated on the designs and messages the children incorporated onto the gloves and the personal sense of satisfaction she received when working with the children.
“The kids loved working on the project,” Poe said. “They’d finish a pair and ask if they could do another one. They put all sorts of designs on the gloves including everything from the national anthem to pictures of families thanking the relief workers. The kids themselves were inspiring by how much they wanted to give.”

Poe said that when they saw the finished stacks of gloves, she and Bader were amazed at the support and contributions of the participants.

“A few weeks before we never would have imagined being at an elementary school talking with fourth graders about being an American,” Poe said.