Eugene freshmen raise money for Honor Flight through raffle

Eugene High School freshmen are raising money for the Central Missouri Honor Flight and Eugene Veterans Day Assembly as a class service project.

The students are requesting donations and selling raffle tickets to raise money that will go toward sending veterans to Washington, D.C., where they can witness the national memorials that recognize their service.

The drawing will be April 6 and include prizes like St. Louis Cardinals tickets, bean bag and washer boards, custom cups, summer cooler combos, movie tickets, homemade cinnamon rolls and Jefferson City Parks and Recreation pool and golf passes.

American history teacher Kelly Hoelscher said all of the raffle items were obtained by freshmen and their family members.

Students decided to participate in the fundraising project last fall to show respect for veterans and to show there are responsible young people in the area who honor their service and want to give back.

Hoelscher won the Veterans of Foreign Wars Bassinger-Sone Memorial Post 1003 Citizenship Education Award in December and gave the students a jumpstart on fundraising by donating her winnings to the collection.

Hoelscher also collected students' reasons for deciding to raise money for the Honor Flight. They said it was a point of pride to help veterans in anyway they could. The fundraising also allowed them to feel good about helping others, teach them life skills, feel accomplished and offer the opportunity to interact with the community.

"They wanted to show their appreciation to those individuals and let them know kids today aren't as bad as publicly you sometimes hear about," Hoelscher said.

Tickets can be purchased from freshmen class members or by contacting Hoelscher at [email protected] or 573-498-4001.