Picture a school hall filled with gifts for the Giving Tree.

Picture thousands of dollars and boxes of food headed for Dare to Care.

Picture students and teachers lending a hand to Habitat for Humanity, Wayside Christian Mission and Project Warm,

Those “pictures” — and many others — happen every year at Trinity.

Small, sometimes competitive incentives are offered to students — casual-dress days, pizza or donuts — for some drives. Even without the incentives, the school community always goes above and beyond the goals.

Service Coordinator Mr. Chris Luken, through the Campus Ministry Office, coordinates the Giving Tree collection at Christmas. He said his favorite part of the collection is seeing the boxes fill Old Trinity Hall at the end of the drive.

“It’s a pretty impressive and awe-inspiring sight,” Luken said. “When you look at it, six dollars for Dare to Care or $15 for the Giving Tree gift, we’re giving out of our excess.”

It’s been proven that when Trinity gets together, they can make an impressive mark. When the devastating Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, the school raised $2,800 at school, and the rest of the Trinity community donated $12,000 at a football game. Luken was “blown away” by the results of these collections.

Other areas of assistance include the work of the Green Cross Service Club, led by Mr. Michael Budniak. The club helps out with a number of groups, from Habitat for Humanity to Hand in Hand Ministries and Project Warm (led by LG&E) to the Mayor’s Give a Day of Service. Budniak said he is “always open” to work with other organizations.  The Green Cross Club takes on at least two major  projects each semester.

Budniak said, “It’s hard to say what my favorite project is. I love the property out at Gethsemane. Project Warm is fantastic, just because of the interaction with people that I have never met before, and knowing that we’re helping folks all over the city.”

Just before the Giving Tree collection takes place, another major project happens every year around Thanksgiving, the Dare to Care drive, coordinated by Mr. Bernie Schum, who has been involved with the collection for 14 years.

He said, “The Dare to Care drive is mostly a monetary collection here at Trinity, and we coordinate prizes (for House groups that donate the most).”

Schum said the school has a “big threshold number” set at about $15,000 for each collection. He said, “If we can get to $15,000, that would be considered an extraordinary year.”

Mr. Michael Budniak talks about the Green Cross Service Club…..video by Bobby Burt