Champions for Kids and Key Club are joining forces to help the community.

This non-profit organization “Champions for Kids” chairman Adelaide Schaeffer went nation wide last year. The program motivates individuals to help children in our community.

They have also gained support from companies like Wal-Mart, Abbot Nutrition, Tyson State Farm and many others. They are looking forward mobilizing 20 million people by 2020.

It started wit a phone call from a Fayetteville teacher, two weeks before Christmas. This teacher did not know, Adelaide nor Rick Schaeffer. All she new is that they had always helped when they could.

“Daniel” had no where to go, and he was going to end up on the street on Christmas. But when you get a phone call like that you do not ask how old is he, where, why, when, you just say yes and help, Mrs. Shaeffer said.

“At a time like that you do what everyone does,” she said.

Once they got there he introduced himself to them, and Daniel only had a red backpack. The backpack was all he had to his name.

Mrs. Schaeffer was frustrated with the situation, as to how a sweet kid like him had no one to show him care and love. This influenced her even more to help the community.

“We have two goals: number one is to give directly. Many schools have fundraisers to help others, but sometimes they miss the children in the school. So we want to give to them directly. I know Champions for Kids cannot solve world hunger, but we can help and show them we care. Number 2: to get the next generation to keep it going. We need to show and express how important this is,” said Mrs. Schaeffer.

The Key Club has joined up in the Champion for Kids efforts for this month’s challenge. The monthly challenges are simple series projects that anyone can do to help children in their community.

The club started in December with the “Teddy Bear Drive,” in which they donate the teddy bears they collected to a NWA shelter in Bentonville.

“I feel really good about it because from our teddy bear drive it was really nice to see how we have helped and to see a lot of people care,” said junior Morgan Story.

This month the club is doing the “Pack-A-Snack” project. The project focuses on getting students to donate healthy snacks for individual children who are in need. They are also looking forward doing next month’s task: “Energizers keep them warm.”

For more information, go to www.championsforkids.org.