After over a year of facing an empty campus, the service-based club Jester Homegirls is back and ready to show their fellow students what it means to love and serve one another without distinction. With events such as the Textbook and Uniform Swap Meet and the Homeboy Industries 5K Run/Walk, the club’s board is springing into action, and they are unstoppable!
Jester Homegirls started in 2015 at Saint Joseph High School, an all-female private school. Its members work in coordination with Homeboy Industries to serve their campus and participate in Homeboy Industries founder Father Greg Boyle’s call to community service. At the beginning of this school year, board members Olivia, Dorothy, Alexis, and Gabriela hosted the annual Textbook and Uniform Swap Meet, the first in-person event following COVID campus closures. The club’s diligent work paid off as they successfully raised over $2,800 to help fund future events and fundraisers that will also be in-person this school year.
Board members are enthusiastic to share acts of kindness within their school community once again by sharing their talents in as many ways as possible. “Personally, I am creative and love to draw, which means I am able to apply my abilities by promoting the club in an artistic way,” states board member Alexis. “It makes me happy when I help service others without distinction while doing what I'm most passionate about.” Every year, students and alumni of Jester Homegirls have expressed this sentiment, sharing the ways the club provides a personal opportunity to put Homeboy Industries’ mission into action.
With Homeboy Industries’ mission in mind, Jester Homegirls’ daily activities and community-wide events make them one of the most active service clubs on the Saint Joseph campus. For this year, its members will participate in the Homeboy Industries 5K Run/Walk, the Christmas Toy Drive, and the Diaper Drive. They also hold two meetings where guest speakers from Homeboy Industries come to campus to share their stories. These meetings are an opportunity to share Father Greg Boyle and Homeboy Industries’ message of warm welcomes beyond its immediate community.
When planning for this transition to in-person activities after over a year of online meetings, the Jester Homegirls board keeps their fellow classmates in the forefront of their minds: “There is nothing more gratifying than seeing our sisters flourish and thrive because of things our club is able to do for them, whether that be providing a textbook or paying for a prom bid. Similarly, getting to see the smiles from Homeboy’s members because of things like the Christmas gifts always makes our day!”
