UNICEF, a newly founded student-led Masco club, is truly making an impact in both the school and our community.  

Masco’s UNICEF club is led by senior officers Belle DiCarlo, Neva Partal, Olivia Kingsbury, Ele Casto, and advisor Laura Greeley.  

DiCarlo had clear reasons for starting UNICEF at Masco.

“I want to ensure that all voices were heard and [she felt] like a lot of children’s voices are underrepresented, so [she] began UNICEF to advocate for children,” she said. 

UNICEF is a club that works to support the mission of the United Nations Children’s Fund.  As a relatively new club at Masco, they have undertaken only a few projects, yet have made a lasting impact in the community.  

“[With the] Women’s Hygiene Drive, we collected over 1000 pads and hope to get even more donations this year,” said DiCarlo.

UNICEF also had a school supplies drive at the beginning of this year, with the donations going to the Lawrence Boys and Girls Club. 

“UNICEF was started at Masco to expand its reach, because then UNICEF would get more notice. It is good to have UNICEF in every community, so we made sure Masco is a part of it,” said Kingsbury.

The club has already been extremely successful and has made a lasting impact on the North Shore community.  

“In the spring, the club organized a collection of women’s hygiene products that were donated to a local women’s shelter. This fall, the club donated school supplies to an elementary school in a neighboring community,” said Greeley.

UNICEF meets a few times per month, depending on the project they are working on.  

“I really love seeing the tangible success we have, like sorting through all the donations we receive on various charity drives,” said Casto. 

Kingsbury also finds satisfaction in the club’s activities so far. 

 “My favorite part of UNICEF is how much support was shown to us by the drives and how many materials we received. It feels good to be in a community that cares,” said Kingsbury. 

Currently, the meetings revolve around organizing and advertising for monthly drives

“I love that the UNICEF Club is a completely student-run club that was established by students who are passionate about helping others, with no expectation of anything in return,” said Greeley.

UNICEF works to protect the rights of children worldwide by providing healthcare, education, and humanitarian aid in over 190 countries. 

“ I want to help children have more accessibility to necessities in their lives.  I would say our goals are to get as many donations as we can and spread awareness about the struggles children face,” said Kingsbury. 

To learn more about UNICEF and its goals, visit their website at https://www.unicef.org/.