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Even the busy can give back to the community.
Mahomet-Seymour sophomore Gretchen Scheele is learning that life lesson.
Scheele is an avid runner and a member of the cross-country and track teams in addition to being a student.
And yet, she finds time to make little differences in her community through volunteering her time at church or participating in MSHS student council activities.
“I just want to be as involved as possible, so whenever there are opportunities to do more stuff, I am always busy, but I try to do it as much as I can,” Scheele said.
Scheele joined the M-S student council as a seventh-grade student. After being elected by her peers, she has worked to earn “points” towards a student council seat for the following years through going to district events or participating in community outreach activities.
Recently, she made a tie blanket that was donated to the Mills Breast Cancer Institute.
This was Scheele’s second time in the school year making a tie blanket. In the fall, she had another opportunity in her English class when the group was learning more about acts of kindness.
“That was my first time ever making one,” she said. “I thought that was really cool, and my tie blanket went to my cousin because she’s fighting cancer.
“After being part of that experience, I wanted to do it again. I didn’t need to do it (to earn additional student council points), but I saw how that impacted other people. Being part of that made me want to do it again.”
The week she made the pink and yellow blanket was a busy one, though. She was training for the upcoming track and field season while balancing her school load.
“It was okay because I just had my music on, and was cutting away,” she said. “It’s not a hard thing to do.”
While the M-S student council focuses mainly on making the high school a better place for students, Scheele has enjoyed spending time with senior citizens during the student council Thanksgiving dinner, collecting food donations for Middletown Prairie and Mahomet Helping Hands, and stocking backpacks for students who may need one for the upcoming school year.
“Even though I’m only a small part of it, I can still help people and make a difference,” she said.
“I get to hang out with other people and make friends; you get to see how what we do impacts other people.”
Finding time to do the work is often difficult, though.
Scheele said she often looks at her practice and meet schedule to see what she has going on, then “fills in with something else.”
That something else often comes on Sunday mornings when school and practice cannot take place.
Scheele attends the Lutheran Church of Mahomet where she volunteers to help with the younger children during Sunday School or vacation bible school.
“I feel like I have a lot of energy so I can keep up with them. It’s one way I know I can help,” she said.
Track and field season is currently in full-swing for the Bulldogs. Scheele usually participates in the 400-meter and 800-meter runs, but recently ran her first 200-meter race.
Her versatility was shown in the fall when she was a member of the cross-country team. Those races are at a 3-mile distance.
It’s not just about competing, though. Again, for Scheele, it’s also about relationships.
“I look forward to bonding with the team. Track has so many different people, and I love that so much about it. I make so many friends; and we just have a lot of fun.”
