Tea Area top-contributor of Veterans’ Holiday Relief Drive

Tea Area School District was recognized with a special award ceremony on March 27th, 2017 as the 2016-2017 “Top-Contributor” school of this year’s 20 levels of participating schools in the statewide Veterans’ Holiday Relief Drive (VHRD). The event was hosted by Autumn Simunek on behalf of the South Dakota American Legion Auxiliary (SDALA); the Tea American Legion Family Post 266; and the Sioux Falls American Legion Family Post 15, which was the featured Statewide Drop-Off Location.

Simunek was the VHRD project founder and leader. The VHRD began under Simunek’s platform in pursuit of the job of Miss South Dakota 2015, affiliated with the Miss South Dakota Organization, a preliminary pageant to Miss America.

The Veterans’ Holiday Relief Drive and service-learning project is designed to aid homelessness and support of military veterans, service members, and their families; to teach civic engagement and strength communities; to bond military and non-military families; to redefine achievement to include service with in our schools and to inspire volunteerism for those who fought for the country’s freedom.

During the award ceremony held at the Tea Area Middle School Simunek expressed her thanks to the student body and faculty for honoring the state’s military heroes and their families as the South Dakota American Legion Auxiliary Veteran’s Holiday Relief Drive Top School Contributor.

She said, “Along with all our representatives here today, and on behalf of the South Dakota American Legion Auxiliary, we are proud to announce among the participation of 20 levels of schools across the state this year, the Tea Area School District, including the Middle School Student Council, High School Student Council and Be the Change Group, raised over $2,110 in relief items and monetary donations this year alone and over $3,700 contributed in four years of participation of over 125 hours of service. Helping bring the total to over $115,000 collected statewide in the past five years.”