During the holiday season at St. Luke’s, a special opportunity presents itself to student leaders to support and spread awareness for a cause important to them. The annual Holiday Boutique is a tradition at school that is treasured by both teachers and students. This year, multiple students took on a leadership role through running a booth at the Boutique for a club, company, or organization important to them.

This year, Marguerite DeMarco ‘21 and Nina Castiglione ‘21 ran a booth for Paws, an animal shelter. They decided to run a booth for this organization because of their passion for animals, shown through Castiglione’s multiple pets; a dog, cat, and fish. They learned about the organization through Castiglione’s mom, who works at Paws. At this booth, DeMarco and Castiglione catered to both humans and animals, selling dog and cat toys, blankets, dog bowls, and bookmarks in order to benefit the animals at Paws. 

The Service Board, a club at St. Luke’s composed of students with a passion for community service, also chose to run a booth at the Boutique. Club members Catherine Clark ‘22, Sloan Barker ‘22, Ella Miller ‘22, Abbey O’Meara ‘20, and Kayleigh Bowler ‘20 raised money for relief efforts for the wildfires in California, including relief for animals injured by the crisis. They sold mason jars filled with a delicious hot chocolate kit, including the mix and various toppings. Ms. Yankura volunteered to help them by providing adorable Christmas ornaments to sell. 

Another popular student-led booth was for China Care Club, which raises money for orphans throughout China, supporting their medical bills and medical needs. Riley Susser ‘22 took on this present issue, selling bubble tea, tapioca balls, and fortune cookies. Susser was introduced to the club over the summer when his Chinese teacher Ms. Lai invited him to join. With the help of Susser’s leadership, the club was able to support those in need through the money raised at the Holiday Boutique. 

Meanwhile, Nicole Ayoub ‘21 ran a booth for her own company, Truly You. She founded Truly You when she was thirteen because she couldn’t use the standard skincare products that her friends were using due to her sensitive skin and eczema, both of which are issues for many. She sold organic and natural body scrubs, lotion sticks, body meringue, lip balms, and face masks. 

The strong leadership that students displayed at the boutique allowed multiple clubs, organizations, and companies to successfully raise money. These students embodied St. Luke’s motto, “Enter to learn, go forth to serve,”  and they raise the question, what can you do to support communities important to you?