BARTRAM TRAIL DECA CARE BEARS

COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT

Bartram Trail High School DECA

Bartram Trail High School
7399 Longleaf Pine Parkway
St. Johns, FL 32259

December 1, 2016

By:
Corinne Petlick,
Kaitlyn Paduano
Savannah Paduano

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Executive Summary.Page 1
II. Introduction..Page 3
A. Historic Background of the Selected Community Service or CharityPage 3
B. Description of the Local DECA Chapter, School, and Community...Page 5
III. Contributions to a Needed Community Service or CharityPage 7
A. Purpose of the Project.....Page 7
B. Rationale for Selecting the Community Service or Charitable Project..Page 8
C. Description of the Benefits of the Project to the Chapter and Chapter Members Understanding
of Leadership Development, Social Intelligence, and
Community ServicePage 8
IV. Organization and Implementation..Page 9
A. Organizational Chart, Membership Involvement, and Job Description.Page 9
B. Description of the Project and Documentation...Page 12
C. Impact Goal for Beneficiary...Page 20
V. Evaluation and RecommendationPage 21
A. Evaluation of the Project.Page 21
B. Impact of the Community Service or Charitable ProjectPage 25
C. Recommendations for Future ProjectsPage 27
VI. BibliographyPage 29
VII. AppendixPage 29

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I.
II.

III.
IV.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In our community, St. Johns County, there is an exceptional number of homeless individuals.
Many of these people are women and children, leaving children defenseless and unprotected.
Being children ourselves, it was important to us to help children less privileged than ourselves
within our community. The Alpha Omega Miracle Home (AOMH) was recommended to us by
one of our DECA members parent. When DECA members contacted the staff at AOMH, they
knew they were the perfect group for our DECA chapter to adopt for our community service
project. The DECA representatives immediately clicked with Lisa Franklin, the founder; she was
incredibly enthusiastic about working with our chapter, and she made us feel part of her team.
She even told is that she was in DECA during her high school years, and she contributed a lot of
her professional success to what she had learned at a DECA member. The BTHS DECA chapter
decided that they wanted to do everything they could to help the women and children involved
with the AMOH get back on their feet for a better life.
The DECA chapter wanted to assist the AOMH staff in providing the young single mothers
and single women whatever they needed in order to go to school, get a job, and get a home, all
while being a resident at the Home. We decide to call our Community Service Project, Care
Bears, because of how fitting it was in our situation. Our school mascot is a bear, and we wanted
to assist and take care of The AOMHs needs, problems, and goals. So for that, Care Bears
seemed like the perfect name. Our main objectives going into this project were:

V.
Assist the Alpha Omega Miracle Home with their projects
Raise money to help AOMH
Help Lisa Franklin, AOMH Founder, with funds to provide shelter for the women
To instill hope within the members of the Home
Give the women the ability to experience a true Christmas
Increase awareness of the homelessness population within our community
Give students at Bartram Trail High School the opportunity for service learning and giving
back to the community
VI.
VII.
In order to achieve these goals the DECA chapter had organized and implemented several
activities and events to help the Alpha Omega Miracle Home with their goals.
VIII.
IX. The representatives kicked off the AOMH service projects by inviting Ms. Franklin, the
AOMH founder and former DECA member, to Bartram Trail High School for a
presentation given to the DECA chapter. The representatives felt it was important for the
members to learn about the history and purpose organization as well as their needs. A video
was shown in order for members to truly see the impact AOMH has on the residents.
X.
XI. Our chapter raised over $600 to date through a Baby Bottle Coin Drive and a PDQ
Restaurant DECA Night (a percentage of food ordered from DECA members was donated
by the restaurant to AOMH). The Baby Bottle Coin Drive is an on-going event until the
end of April. As well as Restaurant DECA Nights are able to be held again through the
remainder of the year.
XII. Over 6,000 baby hygiene items (diapers, wipes, and ointment) were donated with the
Diaper Drive that our chapter orchestrated involving all of the clubs and sports teams at
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Bartram Trail. More than 3,200 Diapers were donated; through our calculations, the
donated diapers alone totaled over $1,000 in retail value.
XIII.
XIV. The DECA Chapter organized a school wide, Career Closet Clothing Drive to help the
AOMH women prepare for interviews and work with appropriate clothing. Students in our
school and community came together and donated over 125 articles of career clothing and
accessories. This clothing drive is ongoing throughout the rest of the school year. The items
that the AOMH women cannot personally use are sold in The Alpha Omega Miracle Home
Thrift Store; the store is located in St. Augustine and serves as a source to revenue for
AOMH. The mothers as well are given monthly vouchers in order to shop in the Thrift
Store, and get items they need.
XV.
XVI. The Alpha Omega Miracle Home is a faith based organization, so they do celebrate
Christmas, which serves as a time of hope and forgiveness for them. It was important to
our chapter to help make it a special season of celebration, so members volunteered to assist
AOMH in organizing a holiday party. Our DECA members handmade all of the table center
pieces for the party, provided game prizes, as well as organized a fun craft table for the
children. Additionally, DECA members attended the event to setup, handled the childrens
craft table, and clean up after the event. Through this activity the DECA members had the
first opportunity to directly help The Home and interact with some of its members. The
representatives were able to meet the women and children that they had been directly
affecting. The DECA members realized how important it is to help others when they saw
the AOMH members reactions and gratefulness for the wonderful party. They were all so
hopeful and excited to see High Schoolers taking such strides in order to help them, and the
community
XVII.
XVIII. Through the chapters work with The Alpha Omega Miracle Home and working directly with
its founder Ms. Franklin, the DECA chapter was able to make a difference in its community. The
positive impact on our members is something they will truly never forget. They now know how
truly important it is to look out for others, and not only themselves. The positive impact on our
members is something they will truly never forget. The AOMH staff repeatedly thanked us for
all of our help and donations; however, they do not know how much we thank them for the
opportunity we had to speak with them and truly learn about community service and its impact
on others. Homelessness is a severe problem, and through this project we have seen the great
trails that homeless individuals experience.
XIX.
XX.

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XXI.
XXII.

Introduction
A. Historic Background
The Alpha Omega Miracle Home provides housing, medical,
and nutritious needs for women in St. Johns County. Beginning
in 1997, with seven teenage mothers and their infants, it has
since expanded to providing services to eighty seven women
and children annually. Lisa Franklin, who was once a teenage
mother, founded this organization to return her faith in God and
serve Him in the only way she felt possible. She had a vision
that instilled her with the idea of starting a womens center.
After beginning with low monetary funds and without a sound
financial plan, she created a foundation that strived to help
young mothers become successful in life. Ms. Franklin wanted
to reach out to women in the community who did not have a

Ms. Lisa Franklin, AOMH founder

and former DECA member

safe place to stay, for reasons varying from domestic abuse to addiction, and give them a sense of
home. Alpha-Omega is a non-profit 501(c)3 charity. They are able to achieve what they do
through private donations, grants, and the generosity of the people in the community. Following
transitional housing units that were a large part of the beginning organization, permanent housing
was added in 2009. Young mothers and women over 60 years old in need of shelter were able to
benefit from this addition. With this change also came: Case management, Counseling, Financial
Literacy and Life Skills Classes. In 2007 the home expanded to also care for homeless and low
XXIII.

income families.
A Community Diaper Bank was introduced to assist the young mothers children and it has
since become one of the largest diaper banks in the county. Another service the Alpha Omega
Miracle Home provides for its community is the Shoes for Hope donation. At the beginning of
every school year citizens of the local community donate sneakers to children in need from St.
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Johns County. These pairs of shoes help the mothers and children, in the sense that the mothers
can give the children more than what they would be able to do on their income status. The
average amount of sneakers collected annually is six-hundred pairs. In the future they strive to
increase their donations to one-thousand. Additionally, to focus on the children, they obtain
XXIV.
XXV.

donations of backpacks and school supplies for the upcoming school year.
The Alpha Omega Miracle Homes personal description is as follows:
XXVI.

We begin by providing safe shelter, medical and dental care, food,

clothing and personal items. Each resident works with a case manager & life
skills coach and is assisted in securing employment and furthering their
education. They also work with a mental health counselor and take classes
on budgeting and finances, nutrition and cooking, parenting, career coaching
and assessment, etiquette, as well as other life skill classes deemed
necessary by the case manager. Our goal and purpose in the above
mentioned classes is to fill in the gaps, so that when the resident leaves our
program they will be stable, self-sufficient and able to take care of

themselves and their family.

XXVII.
XXVIII.
The Alpha Omega Thrift Store opened in 2010 to increase funds for the
program and give the residents an opportunity to have a stable job. The thrift stores
merchandise ranges from sports equipment to electronics, and furniture to clothes. Residents
of the Alpha Omega Home receive tickets to purchase items at the store for no cost. They
have a program where the women of the home can receive discounts off of items, and all
profits go directly to supporting the mothers and children. The Alpha Omega Miracle Home
has recently expanded their store, and moved to a more popular location to increase the
income and knowledge of the store. This in turn, will directly lead to an improvement in the
care that can be given in the program.
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XXIX.

Provision for extended families began in 2011 as a response to the influx of drug addicted
mothers in the community. Foster families were provided in order for the mothers to receive
rehabilitation treatment without permanently losing their children to the government. The Alpha
Omega Miracle Home continues to provide mothers with safe beds and resources. However, they
still wish to grow and make their building larger in order to care for 60 women and children at a
time. They long for the new campus to consist of a Family Counseling Center and a Day Care
Center.

XXX.

B. Description of Local DECA Chapter, School and Community

The DECA chapter was initiated at Bartram Trail High School (BTHS) in 2009 by the
previous VyStar Academy of Business and Finance teacher. In its pilot year, the chapter started with
around 138 members. In 2013, Mrs. Farina and Mr. Davidson started teaching in the

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Batram Trail DECA Membership

250
200
150
100
50
0
2009-2010 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16

Business Academy and took over the roles

of a DECA advisors. Since then, the chapter membership has grown and currently has 216 members.
The chapter at Bartram Trail High School is still evolving and becoming stronger, with an annual
increase in the number of students who qualify for the Career Development Conferences. In 2015,
Bartram Trail had 48 students qualify for the State Career Development Conference and three
members advanced to the International Career Development Conference, and one of our members
received an honorable mention at ICDC. In addition to our current service learning projects with the
Alpha Omega Miracle Home, our DECA chapter continually reaches out to the less fortunate: DECA
Helping Hands and donating Thanksgiving food baskets. Every November, DECA members obtain a
plethora of non-perishable food items, pack them into a laundry basket with a fifty dollar gift card for
the local grocery store. These baskets given to the BTHS guidance counselors, who find a family in
the school system that is in need of food for the holiday season, and the basket is delivered to them.

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Homeless Population in St. Johns County

Under 18

M ales

Females

19%

35%

46%

T
Page | 7

his project open members eyes to the extent of economic problems that occur within the school
district.
XXXI.

Bartram Trail High School was founded in 2000 by William Bartram, in northwest St. Johns
County. As of now, the school is home to over 2,000 students, who constantly thrive in test scores
and athletics. Since opening, the school has been consistently awarded a position in the
Newsweeks annual list of the top 1,300 schools in the United States. Bartram Trail has always
been interested in reaching out to the community and making a difference in peoples lives. The
school has the honor of owning a piece of the World Trade Center, displayed in the courtyard for
everyone to pay their respects to the lives lost on September 11th. With this in mind, the school
continues to reach in the community by participating in numerous service projects. They
encourage students to have a strong influence on the community. Though the majority of the
students are able to live in a middle class society, there are still a number of students who fall into
the low income class. Of the students enrolled, 7 percent are economically disadvantaged; 6
percent are granted a free lunch plan, while the other 1 percent are awarded with a reduced lunch
plan. With these students in mind, the school does everything it can in order to encourage them to

XXXII.

become successful.
St. Johns County was established in 1821. It is one of the two original counties that was formed
after Florida was ceded to the United States, and named after the St. Johns River that flows along
its western border. There are roughly 200,000 people living in St. Johns County at this time, it is
a relatively middle class community, however 9.6 percent of the population falls below the
poverty line. In this drastic amount of impoverished people, 1,401 are homeless, and in the next
county over, Duval, there are 1,801 homeless individuals. In this large group, women make up 35
percent of the homeless, and people under 18 make up 18.6 percent. It is with this information
that leads to the foundation of homeless shelters across the county, and across the entire state of
Florida. In Florida alone last year, 71,422 students enrolled in the school system were homeless.
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These numbers are a trigger to the

creation of six different homeless
shelter organizations in the St.
Johns county region, all of which
provide shelter and nutrition for
more than fifty people a day, with
their focus ranging from homeless youth to single mothers to entire families.
XXXIII.
The county continually receives an A in schooling from the government,
based on state testing scores. In 2010, 56 percent of students qualified for free lunch. 1 in 5
children live in poverty in Florida. The largest cause of homelessness in St. John's is
unemployment, at 49 percent, followed by disability and medical concerns. 34.4 percent of
those people have been homeless for more than a year. St. Johns County offers homeless
people an opportunity to have a safe shelter, with 3,000 places to stay for a night or
permanently.
XXXIV.

Contributions to a Needed Community Service or Charity

A.
Purpose of the Project
XXXV.
The purpose of helping Alpha Omega Miracle Home is to spread awareness
of a serious problem in St. Johns County. Homelessness can affect anyone, without warning.
The community service project will increase attention on homelessness to students in the
community. These students will develop skills related to working well with others, as well as,
gaining an understanding of the importance of service learning. Furthermore, the Alpha
Omega House will continually be able to expand their vision, with the revenue received
through their new thrift store. With this money, the home will be able to input new facilities
for their residents. With the help of the chapter, they can continue to provide the necessary
supplies needed to sustain a healthy living environment.

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XXXVI.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.

I.
Project Goals
To assist the Alpha Omega Miracle Home in their projected needs, including but not limited to,
their transfer of facilities and housing, diaper drive, and supply drive.
To give the members of Alpha Omega Miracle Home an experience of the true spirit of
Christmas.
To allow Lisa Franklin to continue to live out her dream of providing a secure shelter for
women and children in need.
To instill hope into the members of the Miracle Home that they will soon be successful and
back on their own feet.
To raise awareness of the growing problem of homelessness in St. Johns County.
To teach Bartram Trail DECA members the importance of financial decisions and the value of
healthy relationship.

B.
Rationale for Selecting Community Service or Charitable Project
XXXVII.
This specific community service project was decided upon because the Alpha
Omega Miracle Home assists with a problem that while not being completely evident in our
day to day lives, affects all of us, whether we are aware or not. Homeless shelters are
constantly in need, and often cannot make ends meet. The Alpha Omega Miracle Home is
well-known in our community. They are constantly looking for help with their day to day
needs, while still giving everything they have. BTHS DECA would like to make their lives
easier, considering how much they impact the women in our community. The significant
amount of battered women in our area has prompted us to work with a home that specifically
caters towards them. Women and children together make up a large portion of the homeless
community. The chapter believes women and children in these situations should be provided
with opportunities to better their futures. To do so, the chapter must work together with the
home and raise awareness in our school district and surrounding community. These women
and children deserve to have the same resources as the ones the students are privileged to
have at Bartram Trail High School. DECA would like to make a difference in their lives,
which will then make a difference in ours.
C.
Description of Benefits
XXXVIII.
Bartram Trail High School promotes service projects, by requiring a minimum of 50
hours to receive a diploma. The service projects students lean towards are generally at other
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schools or churches in the area, including carnivals and tutoring. A large number of the
students do not visit the homeless problems and attempt to help. Therefore, this project will
create a larger awareness of homelessness and make known the opportunities through this
focus of work. An increase in social skills will also be awarded to the students. In order to
effectively work with the Alpha Omega Home and its members, our students must learn how
to interact well with people on a personal level. Students will improve on empathy and
understanding skills. They will leave the project with communication and listening skills
because they will need to build a respectful relationship with the women and children. They
will continue to be able to work effectively with individuals. An understanding of privilege
CareBear
Leaders: how even though they may have troubles,
will be exposed to them and they will understand
Kaitlyn Paduano
other people have troubles that require
a different
level of help. The students will transform
Savannah
Paduano
Corinne Petlick
into leaders in school and in other projects. They will acknowledge how the community does
substantial amounts of work in order to better the place they live and the people within in it.

Christmas Party
Business
Family PDQ service and
Baby
Bottle
The students will
also
understand the importance of community
helping others.
Diaper Drive
Store Move
Decorations and
Clothes Drive
Night Chair:
Donations
Chair
:
Setup Chair:
Chair: in service Chair:
Chair:
The reward of seeing
people benefit from their actions
will
inspire a continuation
Jake
Petlick
Lisa
Gabrielle
Mackenzie
Madison
Victoria
Franklin
Eurillowill be interacting with children,
Hawkinsprojects. Considering
the fact our students
they will need to
Warner
Velez
uphold a level of maturity and responsibility, reflecting positively upon the Bartram Trail
DECA Chapter. The DECA chapter will further benefit by creating a mutualistic bond with

Decoration
reputation
Team: the Alpha Omega Miracle Home and develop a positiveSpeaking
andthroughout the
Counting
Collection
Check In
Shruti
and
Team:
Moving
community.
Team:
Collection
Police
Organizing
Team:
XXXIX.
and
Maggie
Cory Smith
Diaper
Conner
Organization
XL.
Organization and Implementation
Samantha
Larson
Team:
Pender
Andr Audet
Team:
Mankus
XLI.
Caroline
Elizabeth
Erin Ulmer A.
Organizational Chart, Member Involvement, and Job Description
Alexis
Mikayls
Eurillo
Merrit
Kyle Veazy
XLII.
The CareBear leaders served as those who created committees and provided a description
Mcintosh of their
Levine
Cory Smith
Regan West
Madison
Jacob
With the creation ofVictoria
different committees, the leaders were not
Set Up
Warnerjobs and responsibilities.
Mcintosh
Velez
Team:
overwhelmed
with all of the events; through the establishment of each committee, each event run
Shruti Police
Mira Makanji
Page | 11
Victoria
Velez

smoothly as the members executed the project. The committees and their jobs throughout the
service project are as follows.

XLIII.
XLIV.
XLV.
XLVI.
XLVII.
XLVIII.
XLIX.
L.

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VIII.

LI.
LII.
LIII.
LIV.
LV.
LVI.
LVII.
LVIII.
LIX.

IX.

DECA COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT

X.
RESPONSIBILITY CHART

Member
Involvement
XIII.
CareBear
Leaders
Kaitlyn Paduano
Savannah Paduano
LX.
Corinne Petlick
LXI.
XI.

XV.

XVII.

XVIII.

XIX.

XX.

XXI.

Job Description & Assignment Chart

XII.

Job Description

Lead and Write Paper

Set-up all projects
Documentation of all projects
Oversee all activities
Coordinate with and contact Alpha Omega Miracle Home
Surprising Alpha Omega Miracle Home with funds
XIV.
Christmas
Purchase materials needed for decorations
Party
Creation of Christmas dcor for venue
Committee
Decoration of venue
XVI.
Baby Bottle
Fill the bottles with loose change and dollar bills
Donation
Continue to check out bottles and bring them in
Committee
Keep the money collected in a safe place
Deposit the money into the Homes VyStar account
Diaper Drive
Keep the diapers organized
Committee
Print flyers
Encourage students to bring diapers in
Count and record the amount of diapers collected
Package the diapers up for delivery to the Alpha Omega
Miracle Home
Family Night
Pass out flyers
Committee
Spread the word to peers, friends, and family
Volunteer at PDQ- talking to people about the Home and
announcing orders
Career Closet
Encourage students to bring in clothes
Drive
Spread the word
Committee
Organize the clothing as it is brought in
Package the clothing
Store Move
Help the Home set the thrift store up
Committee
Hang clothes
Move bins

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B.
LXII.

Description of the Project and Documentation

Before determining the projects intentions for the community, the DECA members

contacted the superintendent of St. Johns County, Dr. Joyner, searching for problems within the
community. Though the representatives originally expected to work within a school, their plans were
altered when a DECA parent, Mr. Terry Hawkins, reached out and shared his idea of working with
the Alpha Omega Miracle Home. The representatives then wished to work with the homeless shelter
based on statistics and data found. After countless calls and showing interest in numerous homeless
shelters, the representatives decided the perfect one was in fact the Alpha Omega Miracle Home. The
rehabilitations that go on within the home inspired the team to do all things possible to allow them to
flourish. As soon as representatives talked to Lisa Franklin, the founder, they knew she was the right
person to work with. Her efforts to immediately contact and want to speak with them, left them with
a feeling of assurance and encouraged the chapter to want to begin the project as soon as possible.
After talking with Ms. Franklin, the representatives continued to learn more about the homelessness
in our community, and how it affected areas of schooling and job stability. This enticed them even
more to begin creating goals and establishing numerous events that would lead the Alpha Omega
Miracle Home to continuous success. Once they had their plans completed, the chapter executed
them to the best of their abilities. To do so, it was consistently announced to the DECA club and
other students of our school what the representatives were planning on doing and how their efforts
would make a vast difference, not only for themselves, but the women and children of the home.
LXIII.

Most of the events that the chapter was looking forward to involved an
overwhelming amount of donations from people throughout the entire community. These
included various drives that were in action for multiple months at a time, allowing the most
amount of items to be collected and organized. The CareBears also wanted to impact the
womens holiday season, which mainly revolved around Christmas. With Christmas in mind,
they wanted to have most of our donations and funds at hand before Christmas day. Their
Page | 14

Page | 15
The students of DECA became extremely motivated to help the Alpha Omega Miracle Home
and asked to start the service project right away. A few people automatically checked out a baby
bottle and started to fill it with loose change. The feeling of positivty displayed by the women of
the Alpha Omega Miracle Home's hope was contagious and made everyone feel like they could
help.
The Alpha Omega Miracle Home came to visit Bartram Trail High School during second
period. Ms. Franklin showed a video and talked to us about what the purpose of their home was
and the struggles that they face regarding funds to support the women. As was expected, a
limited amount of students attended, as Bartram Trail is an academically competitive school and
most students do not want to miss class. However, 47 students showed up and it was en eye
awakening experience and a wonderful catalyst for the project to begin. Ms. Franklin also
delievered baby bottles to start our first fundraiser right away.

Target Market: All Bartram Trail DECA members

Product: Presentation by Ms. Franklin, the founder of the home
Place: Bartram Trail Auditorium
Promotion: In class aanouncements and forms

Outcome

Event
Description

Marketing

Objective
To show students of the DECA club the importance of the service project and further their
knowlege on what Alpha Omega Miracle is and what they provide for the community.

AOMH
Presentation
LXV.

follows. Additional photographic documentation can be viewed in the appendix of the paper.
LXIV.

and their hearts.

A continuation of the description of events that organized and implemented
interact with the women they were helping one on one, which continued to open their eyes
children, and not necessarily themselves. The Christmas party allowed the chapter to see and
putting together a Christmas party for the women who work to always provide for their
efforts were successful, and they were able to not only have our donations, but participate in

Page | 16

LXVII.
With over 150 students participating with their donations we raised enough money for
the Alpha Omega Miracle Home to provide enough toiletries and living necessities for
multiple months! The entire club felt empowered and the Alpha Omega Miracle Home
was overwhelmingly grateful.

The Alpha Omega Miracle Home was gracious enough to come to Bartram Trail High
School to speak to our DECA chapter about the Home's goals, relations and what
they hope to achieve this year. This moved our chapter to want to help the Alpha
Omega Miracle Home, and was the catalyst to a great movement. We were given 200
plastic baby bottles to fill up with change. Nearly all the baby bottles were checked
out and within the first day we had raised over $30. This amount grew immensely
over the next few weeks. So far the Bartram Trail DECA team has raised $549.93 (as
of December 2015) just from spare change students found in their locker, homes, cars
and bags! This money has been directly deposited into th Home's VyStar account The
event is continuous throughout the entire year and we expect these numbers to grow
further.

Target Market- BTHS DECA members

Product-Baby bottle coin fundraiser
Promotion- Flyers, posters, school website
announcement, word of mouth, front office
relationships, service hours offered

Outcome

Event
Description

Marketing

Objective
To raise money for the Alpha Omega Miracle Home through coin donations of
students.

LXVI.
Baby Bottle
Drive

LXVIII.

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Page | 18
With over 150 students participating, donations collected reached over 3,000 diapers,
2,000 wipes and around 15 ointment products. The Alpha Omega Miracle Home was
incredibly thankful, and posted their gratitude to their website saying, "Thank you to
those wondrous youth for their loving action ... Thanksgiving indeed". The diapers
should be able to support the mothers and children for an extensive amount of time.

The majority of members that the Alpha Omega Miracle Home provides services to are
young mothers. These mothers do not necessarily have a job to support their children, or
their income does not allow it. Therefore, it was necessary to provide a resource that these
mothers could all benefit from, which was diapers. As the event approached, the DECA
spokes members for the Alpha Omega Miracle Home project began by emailing every
club at Bartram Trail High School. With overwhelming support, DECA was joined by
Junior Ladies, Spanish Club, Senior Women, and the Girls Basket Ball team. The Spanish
club, having done this before, worked independently and used different promotional
methods and were still very effective. During the lunch period of the final day of the
drive, representatives counted and totaled all the diapers, wipes, and ointment products.
Then they delivered more than ten boxes and bags filled with diapers to the front office
for the CEO of Alpha Omega Miracle Home to pick up.

Target Market- All Bartram Trail High School students involved in participating clubs
Product- All sizes and brands of diapers, wipes, and baby ointment
Promotion- Flyers, school website announcement, word of mouth, front office
relationships, and the offering of service hours to those students involved

Outcome

Event Description

Marketing

Objective
To gather a substantial amount of diapers, wipes, and baby ointment to satisfy the needs
of the Alpha Omega Miracle Home and its members, while helping save the mothers
money until they are able to provide their children with necessary resources.

Diaper Drive

Page | 19
The thrift store was completed and Ms. Franklin was utmostly grateful for the
efforts we provided. They were able to open up the business the following week,
and begin to have an additinal income again. The enlerged space allowed more
merchandise to be displayed and sold, to the women of the home and people of
the community, raising the profit.

Multiple students went to the location of Alpha Omega's new thrift store to help
in setting up the new building. The students moved bookcases, hung up the
clothes, organized the miscellaneous items, and helped decide where each item
went. By the end of the day, everything was organized and made ready for
business.

Target Market: Bartram Trail DECA Members

Place: Location of the new Thrift Store
Promotion: Service Hours were rewarded to the students who participated and
announcements to all DECA members and students of Bartram Trail's VyStar
Academy

Outcome

Event Description

Marketing

Objective
To aid in increasing the space of Alpha Omega Miracle Home's Thrift Store.

LXIX.

AOMH
Thrift Store
Move

Page | 20
With a great portion of clothing donated, we gathered over 100 reasonable outfits to
give to the thrift store of the Alpha Omega Miracle Home. This will surely help the
women to look more professional in job interviews, leading to an increase in income,
and possibly the ability to solely provide for themselves. The DECA club is familiar
with "Dressing for Success" as we do it once a month, therefore, the club is very
aware of the importance of business dress and was empathetic towards the women
who did not own a significant factor in getting a job.

Throughout the month of November students were encouraged to donate gently used
business clothing and shoes for males and females. In these donations, casual clothes
were also donated, that could also be sold in the thrift store. We also reached out to
our community and had multiple neighbors donate the clothing that they had. As
clothes were collected, there were hung on a rack in Mrs. Farinas classroom to
entice students to continue to bring more in and receive service hours. Students
continuously brought in boxes full of clothing for the Alpha Omega Miracle Home.

Target Market- All Bartram Trail High School members involved in DECA
Product- Various sizes and brands of male and female business attire
Promotion- Flyers, virtual web design, school website announcement, word of
mouth, front office relationships, and the offering of service hours

Outcome

Event
Description

Marketing

Objective
To create an adequate clothing line that mothers in search of a job could turn to in
order to look professional and prepared

LXX.

AOMH
Career
Closet Drive

Page | 21
The outcome was wonderful! The Alpha
Omega Miracle Home loved our decor and it
significantly completed the party. We gave the
snowmen stuffed animals to the children to
play with after the party. The craft table was
amazingly popular as well (it even topped Elsa
and Olaf for one little boy) and it was great fun
for the club volunteers to do.
At Bartram Trail High School, Wednesdays
are early release. So one Wednesday afternoon
about 15 kids gathered to make snowmen,
center pieces and crafts for the children to do.
We ordered pizza and had lots of fun making
all the different pinterest-esque DIY's. It took
about twenty socks, forty buttons, over 100
ornaments, about twenty vases and more hot
glue and Popsicle sticks than you could count.
But in the end our array of Christmas
decoration was beautiful and well put
together.

Target Market: All BTHS members involved

in DECA
Product: Christmas decor
Place: Bartram Trail High School
Promotion: Flyers, posters, word of mouth,
and the offering of service hours

To have a fun DIY party, including all DECA

members, while making cute and appropriate
Christmas decorations to make the Alpha
Omega Miracle Home Christmas party a
perfect event.

Outcome

Event Description

After the Family Night was over, the

PDQ representative calculated that we
received over $200 from the night and
we were able to completely surprise Ms.
Franklin with the funds during the
holiday season. The manager also wishes
for us to continue to do more Family
Nights in the future.

Outcome

We met with the manager of the local

PDQ, which is a casual restaurant, and
went over the details to put on a Family
Night at the location. We established that
ten percent of all orders would go towards
the Alpha Omega Miracle Home. We
Event Description
arrived at PDQ on the night of the
fundraiser and went straight to work. We
talked to the customers in line at PDQ and
explained to them what Alpha Omega
Miracle Home is, which enticed them to
mention us at their order. We even we
allowed to be on the microphone and
announce when people's orders were
ready. There were three different shifts for
members of the club to participate in.

Marketing

Objective

Target market: Bartram Trail High

School DECA members
Product: PDQ Family Night
Place: PDQ
Promotion: Flyers, yard signs, cookie
distribution, school-wide announcement

Marketing

Objective
To surprise the Alpha Omega Miracle
Home with a monetary Christmas
present.

PDQ Family
Night
LXXI.

AOMH
Christmas
Decorating
Party

LXXII.

Page | 22

Page | 23
The outcome was amazing! The Alpha Omega Miracle Home loved our decor
and it really completed the party. At the party they were elated to have our help
setting up and of course cleaning. Throughout the party we manned the craft
station and helped children make ornaments for their mothers. At the party there
was a gift raffle that included three well packed gifts of hygienic products and
pampering's for the moms that we donated, and they were a hit! Overall the
Christmas spirit was bright and happy and consumed the night. Ms. Franklin was
overwhelmed with our help and how the party turned out. She even got
emotional at one point when speaking with us. The women were also completely
grateful and enjoyed speaking with us and relaxing with their children and
friends.

On the day of the party we arrived an hour early to help put up decor and lay out
the food. We also were able to arrange presents under the tree and set up a craft
station. During the party we spoke with the women and the participated with the
children in doing crafts. The children had so much fun decorating Christmas tree
ornaments. It was such a pleasure to see a stress free day for the moms. After the
party we cleaned the party space and were the last to leave the venue afterwards.

Target Market: Select Bartram Trail High School DECA members

Product: Christmas volunteers
Place: World Gollf Village Amenity Center
Promotion: Word of mouth and selct invitations

Outcome

Event Description

Marketing

Objective
To help Alpha Omega Miracle Home set up their Christmas party and allow the
women to have a relaxing, incredible time, where they do not have to worry about
their meal.

AOMH
Christmas
Party

LXXIII.
C. Impact Goal for the Beneficiary
LXXIV.
Bartram Trails DECA chapter was very inspired and dedicated to the Care
Bears effort in helping the Alpha Omega Miracle Home. They truly believe that the Alpha
Omega Miracle Home benefited from Bartram Trail High Schools DECA chapter service.
The benefits to the Alpha Omega
Miracle Home are shown through three
major points:
Funds Raised and Donated
Items Received
Emotional Impact
LXXV.

Through a baby bottle

coin drive, they have raised over
dollars in just over three months, and this

600
drive is still continuing on until

mid-April, helping to raise more liquid of funds for the Home. Through the PDQ Family
Night, the CareBears were able to raise around 200 dollars as a surprise Christmas donation.
Giving a total of a little over 800 dollars to input directly into the Alpha Omega Miracle
Homes VyStar account. Through the Diaper Drive, the CareBears were able to donate over
3,200 diapers, over 2,500 wipes, and 15 other miscellaneous baby hygiene items. Those
diapers and wipes will save mothers from having to worry about spending their allowances
and earned money on diapers, and allow them to buy food other significant daily items that
they need. The DECA chapter also hosted a Career Closer Clothing Drive in honor of the
Alpha Omega Miracle Home moving into a larger space for their thrift store. Over 100
professional clothing items were donated and over 25 accessories. These are able to be
donated and sold in their thrift shop in order to raise money for their expenses, or given to the
mothers currently living at the home for job interviews and other events. An emotional
benefit to the Alpha Omega Miracle Home was given through the Christmas Party that the
Page | 24

CareBear representatives helped decorate and run. The leaders went to the party early to help
string decorations and set up the food, and stayed late to clean all of it up. They had the
opportunity to stay through the actual party and meet many of the mothers at the Home, as
well as their children. Many of the mothers were very open about how happy it made them to
see how people our age, teenagers, are involved with the community. The leaders believe it
gave them hope and raised their spirits to see that the next generation in the area were
interested and concerned about their wellbeing. As well as homelessness in general.
LXXVI.
V. Evaluation and Recommendations
LXXVII.
A. Evaluation of the Project
LXXVIII.
The planning and carrying out of the community service project was a
learning process for all parties involved. While the goals of the project served as guidelines
of how to successfully carry out the project, they also served as a basis for the evaluation.
While the chapter accomplished all goals set for the Alpha Omega Miracle Home, the goals
set for the chapter were reached and pushed far beyond expectations. Each member
developed personal ties to the project. All of the members also felt self-accomplished and
very excited that after months of hard work, they reached a level which no one never
expected to in the beginning. To fully evaluate the effectiveness of this project we looked
back to the beginning of the Alpha Omega Miracle Home and the growth of it in relation to
our goals. Most high school students cannot relate to emotional mindset of homelessness.
However there are a few that know the struggle all too well. They dont know how they are
going to afford college or if it is even an option and they worry about where their next meal
will come from. Through the service project the chapter learned how to help those who are in
need in a calm, and non-offensive fashion and taught Bartram students the importance of
supporting those who needed help. It also made the Bartram Trail DECA students more
confident in their ability to help their community. The following is a summary of how the
goals were accomplished.
Page | 25

LXXIX.

Assist the Alpha Omega Miracle Home in their projected needs, including but not limited to,

their transfer of facilities and housing, diaper drive, and supply drive.
LXXX.
The Alpha Omega Miracle Home with limited funding and unlimited needs, benefited
greatly in this aspect. The Home received helping hands for their thrift store move and the
Bartram Trail DECA team will be sending a group of members to help with furniture moving
and new housing set up- this will take place later in 2016. The diaper drive raised over 3,000
diapers, providing adequate amounts to last the mothers for a long time and save the Alpha
Omega Miracle Home a large sum of money. The supply drive will also happen in late 2016
close to summer and our goal is to get over $2,000 worth of supplies so that the mothers do
not need to spend any additional money for their child's education. DECA went beyond these
specific needs and helped the Alpha Omega Miracle Home with their Christmas Party and
decor, and also raised over $600 for extra spending money for the Home. As we have learned
LXXXI.

from this experience, every cent counts.

To give members of Alpha Omega Miracle
Home an experience of the true Christmas

LXXXII.

spirit.
Alpha Omega members are often brought in
from abusive relationships and are in serious
need of money and shelter. Many Christmases
have been spent alone, afraid and with tears in
their eyes. This year the Bartram Trail DECA team promised to make the holidays bright and
cheery for the women, as the deserve it for all of their hard work. The Bartram Trail DECA team
provided decorations such as snowmen, presents, and beautiful centerpieces filled with
ornaments, glitter and jingle bells. The women, for perhaps the first time in years, opened up
presents under a tree, made Christmas crafts with their children and ate a delicious meal. They

Page | 26

were grateful and able to grow in their journey, and for many this was the first time that they did
LXXXIII.

not feel alone.

To allow Lisa Franklin to continue her dream
of providing a secure shelter for women and

Holiday decorations handmade by our DECA

members

children in need.
LXXXIV.
For Bartram Trail High School DECA this was a huge priority. The CareBear
leaders wanted Ms. Franklin to know that through all her endeavors this year and previous
years that Bartram Trail DECA would find a way to help. This home has touched the lives of
hundreds of women throughout the years and holds true to its name. It is a miracle to so
many people. Bartram Trail DECA raised money and products for Ms. Franklin to use and to
help her supply for more women than she thought the DECA club could accomplish. In the
future the Alpha Omega Miracle Home is planning on expanding and Bartram Trails DECA
club has made a commitment in helping in any way possible. The Career Academies at
Bartram Trail High School that made DECA possible includes an Interior Design branch.
This branch would be more than happy to donate their time and energy into making a
beautiful facility and allowing the dream to spread. Furthermore, the Baby Bottle Drive is
continuous throughout the school year and since the last count up more than $500 in coins
have been turned in. We estimate at least another $500 be raised by the end of the school
year. Moreover, by opening the community's eyes to the struggles faced by the Alpha Omega
LXXXV.

Miracle home, the community is now more willing to help and make miracles happen.
To instill hope into the members of the Miracle Home, that they will soon be successful and

back on their own feet.

LXXXVI.
This is a significant goal when working with people who know what it is like
to have nothing. Our donations to the Home have created this sense of hope in the women,
and with our help, they have the ability to become independently stable. Ms. Franklin has
also expanded her hope and knowledge that soon, the women of her Home will be able to

Page | 27

provide for themselves. A large part in instilling this hope were the Diaper Drive and Career
Closet Drive. These events allowed us to donate to the women more than they would ever be
able to buy. Now with the help, they do not have to worry about buying important supplies
for their children for a long period of time. Diapers generally cost around 1,500 dollars a year
for the average two year old, and are 30 cents per diaper. When calculated, this is 450 dollars
per year spent on diapers. These mothers need as much money as they can obtain for other
necessities, like food, so by delivering more than 960 dollars worth of diapers, we have
instilled hope in them. The Career Closet Drive also proves to bring new hope, as now the
mothers can look extremely presentable for their job interviews, which will lead to the
beginning of a new life.
LXXXVII.
To raise awareness of the growing problem of homelessness in St. Johns County.
LXXXVIII.
St. Johns County has a high rate of homelessness and impoverished people. In
order to raise awareness Bartram students were constantly reminded of the pain these women
in the Home have felt and are feeling. The leaders are also aware that some of the students
already know what homelessness is like, as there is a small percentage of students in our
school system who fall under the poverty line. They have shared statistics with all of their
classmates, and hope that in the future they will use their new found knowledge to the
LXXXIX.

advantages of the less fortunate.

To teach Bartram Trail DECA members the importance of financial decisions and the value of
a healthy relationship.
XC.
Most of the women in the Alpha Omega Miracle Home are living in the
shelter because of domestic abuse relationships or lack of financial support after teenage
pregnancy. The DECA club wished to teach the members about how certain things can and
will affect your life for the worst. These women are victims of terrible acts, and if the club
can help to discourage these relationships, there would be a decrease in the amount of women
in the shelter. Another reason the women live in the shelter are addictions, drugs and alcohol.

Page | 28

By knowing of the importance of saving money and getting help before it is too late, students
can avoid these situations. DECA members already have an understanding, as they are in
accounting and entrepreneurship classes, but if real life situations can be applied, then it may
be instilled in their heads for a longer period of time. What the CareBears wanted to teach
was taught, and they hope the students carry this knowledge with them throughout the rest of
their lives and avoid situations that will lead them to homelessness.
XCI.
B. Impact of the Community Service Project
XCII.
"Only by giving are you able to receive more than you already have" ~Unknown.
XCIII.
The DECA club's service project for the community, was substantially
impacting on not only a financial level, but an emotional level. They were able to help a
homeless community of mothers and children who had nowhere else to go. Through the
multiple drives created, the raising of money, and the decorating for a Christmas party, the
club allowed these mothers to have a stress free holiday and gave them a new sense of hope.
All DECA members were involved in more than one way, whether it was watching the Alpha
Omega Miracle Home video or participating in a fundraiser or projects. They all grew as
members and their eyes were opened to the many problems that our community faces. They
reached their goal of allowing the students to grow in ways that the classroom cannot teach
them. They also gave back to the community. The students lives which are plentiful and
happy are something that many students feel they are entitled to, but this whole experience
has shown that lives can take an unexpected turn at the drop of a hat. It is also shown that
many people in the St. Johns County community need help and the club was happy and
honored to give back. Furthermore, the Alpha Omega Miracle Home gathered more than
$800 cash and over $4000 worth of products. The monetary funds will help the Home receive
repairs needed and continue to grow. The Home is planning on major expansion in which
money will be tight, therefore, the products will allow the Home to save money and will
impact the mothers lives in many different ways. It will allow them to get back on their feet
Page | 29

and make a life for

themselves, which
they otherwise may
have felt impossible.
The children of the
Home have also
benefited by having a true Christmas and by seeing their mothers happier, healthier and more
positive. Children grow by mimicking their parents so by initiating this change, the children
XCIV.

have changed for the better as well.

On the AOMH Facebook page, there were many posts expressing their
gratitude. The clubs impact on the community is one of immense growth and emotional
recovery previously unseen by St. Johns County, Florida. This project started out with us
being shocked at the amount of homeless people and under privileged shelters there are in the
community, and has evolved into helping a shelter become sound and fully equipped in every
supply needed to help the members rise again. The DECA chapter at Bartram Trail High
School was so moved by this project that the club plans on continuing with the Alpha Omega
Miracle Home after the project is over, and even into years in the future. In the New Year, the
club plans on doing a school supply drive so that the children can go to school feeling
confident and excited. They are also planning a shoe drive for the children that will have the
same positive impact. The representatives for this project have truly learned on an entirely
new personal level that, as Robert Ingersoll said, "We rise by lifting others." The positivity
that the CareBears came into the project with has multiplied tenfold since we have met the
women and saw our impact. Not only are their lives changed, the Bartram Trail DECA
chapter member's lives are as well. A young women said to us at the Christmas party, "You
have no idea how much you have helped us, which was incredibly touching to hear, and
Page | 30

whether she knew or not, true for both sides of the project. The most important thing that
could have been given to DECA this year was from the Alpha Omega Miracle home- the
ability to empathize and understand with people in our community, to understand the
importance of community service. Members gained self-awareness and knowledge of their
community, which has
not yet been found in a
classroom alone. A
DECA student reflected
that the best outcome
for her was: "an
understanding of how
other people live and
how privileged I am to
have a warm house to
go to every night and
plentiful food in the
pantry." But the project
was not only about us, a

AOMH Facebook page: Bartram Trail DECA diaper drive donations

DECA member who has

been incredibly

involved in this project said that the best outcome for the Home was this, "a knowledge that
so many people care and want them (the women) to become successfuland that they know
they have an opportunity to do so with our help with the clothes and they know their children
XCV.

can have plenty of resources such as the diapers."

C. Recommendations for Future Projects
Page | 31

XCVI.

Even though this project was a success in nearly all aspects of the initial
goals, there are a few things that the DECA members would change if given the opportunity
to participate in this project again. The following are things we would like to change in the
future in order to achieve maximum potential for the project.

XCVII.

Communication style is one aspect that the leaders would wish to change. The

chapter representatives spoke to multiple homeless shelters via phone. Because of this many shelter
representatives were unavailable to speak to, as they were helping in other areas of the shelter. In the
future we believe that traveling to the shelters will be more beneficial and efficient than speaking on
the phone. Traveling to the homeless shelter, would give an opportunity to speak one-on-one with an
authoritative figure and provide a view of the shelter, its resources, and the people who utilize them.
Along these lines as well, in future projects we hope to speak directly to the founder of the home and
not a representative, because information was often lost in transit. Multiple times there was a lapse in
the time it took to receive reliable and informative information back regarding the shelter.
XCVIII.
Continuing, because the Alpha Omega Miracle Home wanted to keep the members
names anonymous (because of abusive relationships, fear, embarrassment etc.), the process to start
the service project was long and hard. If we had started in August rather than September we
essentially would have a full extra month that was originally lost. In this month, the chapter could
have raised additional funds and set up more events that would further aid the Home. Having started
late, there was a rush to get things moving, therefore, if the leaders had started earlier, their ideas
could have been more developed and more efficient.
XCIX.

The CareBear team agrees that in the future encouragement of member

involvement would be a higher priority. In the future the leaders hope for everyone in the
club to participate at least once. This would increase efficiency and exposure of students to

Page | 32

real world situations. If all students participated then more money, outfits, and time would be
put into the Alpha Omega Miracle Homes cause.
C.

Furthermore, while the CareBears created many drives and fundraisers, in the future

they would like to create a large event to help the Alpha Omega Miracle Home, that way it is not just
donating to them supplies they need, but allowing the women to enjoy a day dedicated to them. It
would also be more exciting for the DECA members, and might entice them to become more
involved in the project. In addition, they also would like more PDQ Family Nights to raise more
money and to plan these farther in advance to achieve maximum funds.

CI.
CII.
CIII.
CIV.
CV.
CVI.
CVII.
CVIII.

VI. Bibliography

St. Johns County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau." St. Johns County QuickFacts
from the US Census Bureau. United States Census, 02 Dec. 2015. Web. 04 Jan. 2016.
<http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/12/12109.html>.
Franklin, Lisa. "Alpha Omega Miracle Home." Alpha Omega Miracle Home. N.p., 2014.
Web. 04 Jan. 2016. <http://www.aomh.org/>.
US News. "St. Johns County School District." US News. U.S.News & World Report, n.d.
Web. 04 Jan. 2016. <http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/florida/districts/stjohns-county-school-district>.

CIX.
CX.

VII. Appendix

CXI.
CXII.
CXIII.
CXIV.
CXV.
CXVI.

Page | 33

CXVII.
CXVIII.
CXIX.
CXX.
CXXI.
CXXII.
CXXIII.
CXXIV.
CXXV.
CXXVI.
CXXVII.
CXXVIII.
CXXIX.
CXXX.
CXXXI.
CXXXII.
CXXXIII.
CXXXIV.
CXXXV.
CXXXVI.
CXXXVII.
CXXXVIII.
CXXXIX.
CXL.
CXLI.
CXLII.

Flyer: DECA members sponsor Career Closet

drive

Alpha Omega
writing about
BTHS DECA in
their newsletter

CXLIII.
CXLIV.

DECA members AOMH diaper drive

CXLV.
CXLVI.
CXLVII.
Flyer: DECA members sponsor diaper drive

AOMH Christmas Party

Decorations

CXLVIII.

Page | 34

AOMH Christmas Party

CXLIX.
CL.
CLI.
CLII.
CLIII.
CLIV.
CLV.
CLVI.
DECA decoration making session
CLVII.
CLVIII.
CLIX.
CLX.
CLXI.

Flyer: Christmas fundraiser,

family night at PDQ

Page | 35