When Chisom Agbim was 12 years old, she volunteered at an elementary school field day. She's been hooked ever since, "It kind of built up from there to the point where I always wanted to be active in the community," she says. Chisom gives her time to Children's Hospital and tutors fellow Hinkley High School students. Yet, Chisom is best known for 'Sisters Involved in the Community' (S.I.C.). It's a group she and two other Hinkley girls started.
"When I came to high school, I came to this realization that a lot of females were in a lot of negative activities, anywhere from not being involved in any extra-curricular activities to being involved in gang violence, drugs, teenage pregnancy…that sort of thing," Chisom says. S.I.C. grew out of her realization. She describes its mission as, "more or less female empowerment with a combination of community service."
The group of about 20 girls meets to discuss topics such as teenage pregnancy or body image. The girls support each other to make good choices. Then there's the community service element. "Every month we have a bake sale at which we sell breakfast burritos and other goods that our girls make, and that money gets donated to local charities," Chisom explains. The girls decide which charities will benefit. "It's not just about the money," she says. "It's about actually getting to know the organization we're doing it for and getting that sense that we're doing something important."
"This club is absolutely a guiding force in the wave of positive change happening around Hinkley High School," said guidance counselor, Courtney Dauer.
Thanks to the success of the club and Chisom's hard work, S.I.C. is now at three other high schools in Colorado.
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