Emma Gonosey
Sports Editor
Junior Addison Lee lends a helping hand to students struggling during online learning.
Lee started the Helping Hand Club last October to assist kindergarten and elementary students with online school. The club has been working with inner-city kids from Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) who have a tough time with online learning. Club members work as tutors with the students and try to help them with both technology and any questions they have while studying.
“[While] I was driving home one day, I saw an unusual amount of homeless people all along the roads and under the highways,” Lee said. “It was sad to see so many people, newly homeless some of them had children or pets. I decided that students at Costa should do something to help those who lost everything from the pandemic.”
Lee got to work brainstorming ways he could help people. He created the Helping Hand Club through Costa. But first Lee began by looking at different organizations and people he could partner up with.
“We worked with Gita O’Neill, the director of homeless policies and strategies at the [Los Angeles] City Attorney’s Office,” Lee said. “She put me in contact with the Salvation Army, hosted meetings where we discussed ideas and gave her input on what she thought would be helpful. Mrs. O’Neill has been a major factor in getting this club up and running.”
Once Lee established a partnership with the Salvation Army, he began to inform all the members. While the Helping Hand Club started small, it has already grown quickly, as nearly 20 Costa students, ranging in grades, have come together to help students.
“During the pandemic, the club members will join Zooms with the students from the Salvation Army and assist them with any school-related issues that they might have,” Lee said. “Essentially, we will act as tutors for the students who need the extra help.”
The Salvation Army put Lee and his club in touch with students who range in age from kindergarten through eighth grade. These younger students are from different areas of Los Angeles. The club will be tutoring the students in all subjects, with sessions lasting between 30 to 60 minutes.
“[I am most looking forward to] the opportunity to develop relationships with the kids and provide help to people in need,” Lee said. “[And] of course I’m looking forward to gaining a better understanding of what people are going through.”
The students in the Helping Hand Club have not yet begun their Zoom sessions with the students from the Salvation Army, although they hope to very soon.
“We are going to try and start up the partnership beginning in January or February after the kids come back from winter break,” Lee says. “Hopefully, we can continue to work with these kids until the end of the semester.”
According to Lee and the other club members, they have high hopes for the future of the Helping Hand Club, and they hope to change the lives of many students. Everyone involved with the club has high expectations and is excited to see the club take off.
“We’re looking for whatever we can do to take control of the homeless problem in Los Angeles,” Lee says. “I’m hoping to make a difference in these kids’ lives, taking as much stress out of their already stressful lives as we can.”
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