Shortly after Emma Dreher ’19 and Mads McDonough ’19 delivered a check for $1,080 to a local elementary school, the pair was so overwhelmed they started to jump up and down in excitement.

The money—raised through donations from their fellow Berkshire students—was given in December to Project Connection, a southern Berkshire County organization that provides meals and snacks to elementary and middle school students eligible for free or reduced lunch during periods when those students are not in school. Dreher delivered the check not long after wrapping up her math exam at Berkshire, where she serves as co-leader of the school’s Philanthropy Club, along with McDonough.

“I’ve just found that philanthropy really calls out to me. It’s very inspiring and how I want to spend my time,” Dreher said.

Building on the momentum of the large donation, Dreher and McDonough recently announced a new philanthropy initiative at Berkshire, which will provide students with the opportunity to participate in community service up to six days a week. On Tuesdays for example, students will visit the local senior center, and on Thursdays the group will take part in plogging—a fitness craze that originated in Sweden that combines exercise and litter pick-up. 

“It definitely gives me a sense of gratitude and pure happiness,” McDonough says of giving back to others. “We’ve always wanted to make community service a regular part of our school.”

Dreher and McDonough, who both got involved with community service at a young age, are excited to leave their mark at Berkshire. This past fall, the pair organized a Pink Out game for Berkshire’s varsity field hockey team to coincide with the popular boys varsity hockey’s Pink Out game—an event that raises money for breast cancer research and awareness.

“It has broadened my perspective,” McDonough added. “Community service has changed my perspective on a lot of things.”