The holidays are a time for helping and giving. It’s true that in all of our lives we have found one way or another to donate and help those in need, whether it be donating clothes, or putting a few bucks into the bell-ringers cups.

This year, senior DECA students Lexie Short, Elle Olson, and Alex Bremer have found a new way to contribute to our city. This winter, for their senior DECA project, they have planned to bring awareness to the Salvation Army within our own community.

“When people think of the Salvation Army, they think thrift stores,” Short said. “But it is much more than that. The Salvation Army helps our community by stopping human trafficking, offering rehabilitation to those who suffer addiction and drug issues, aid in disasters, provide shelters, and, most of all, provide basic needs to the homeless.”

The students titled this project “Doing the Most Good”, referencing the motto of the Salvation Army. Through a series of multiple events, they plan to help our community by aiding the Salvation Army.

“Lexie and I went to the Salvation Army and spoke with a public relations officer there to set the whole thing up. It was a lot of planning and organizing,” Olson said.

The project was introduced to the rest of the marketing students with a video describing the campaign and “logo coloring sheets.” These sheets had the logo of the Salvation Army and asked DECA students the question “What is the most good you have done?” These were hung up on the wall outside the marketing rooms.

In order to get their project to expand outside of MN, the students have begun to use social media as the means of spreading this message of helping others and “doing the most good” someone can.

“I think it’s really important to get everyone involved in the project, and this is a good way to do that,” Bremer said.

The events of this campaign include a winter accessory drive, a scavenger hunt for the marketing students, a “Winter Watch”, trivia questions on the DECA twitter, and even a “miracle minute” at one of MN’s basketball games.

One of the events in particular, the Winter Watch, consists of driving through the neighborhoods of Omaha and giving food to the homeless and needy.The students plan to accomplish it this week by going to the poorer parts of our city and driving a portable soup kitchen. This way, the hungry adults and children can get hot meals served to them straight from the truck.

There will also be an event that will occur here at school. The students planned a “miracle minute” during the basketball home game, against Millard West on Dec.20.

“The miracle minute has worked before at our school and we think it’ll be a really good way to get donations to the Salvation Army,” Short said.

At the end of all of it, these students have to prepare a visual presentation of the events of their campaign. This will be presented at the DECA State competition, and possibly even at national and international competitions.

“Competing will be exciting. We’re going to Atlanta for Nationals this year, and I think we have a good chance of getting there,” Short said.

Despite all this, in the end it truly is about the giving. The Salvation Army provides aid to approximately 30 million people in our country each year. By “doing the most good,” these students get to be a part of this giving as well.