DOWNEY - The Downey High School Normaneers, an all-girl community service club, are looking to start fresh and reach out further than ever before by committing to several different charities and projects this year.The cabinet members of Normaneers plan to completely reinvent the already established campus group, expanding their name into social networks such as Twitter and settling into a classroom specifically for their club. "We want to start a revolution," said club president Andrea Ortiz. "We're going to do what we can to make it one of the most popular clubs again." Only about a month into the new school year, the girls have wasted no time in getting things up and ready for their club. They spent an entire Saturday morning cleaning their new classroom, where they plan to meet weekly to plan and discuss their various projects. "The point of the club is to volunteer," said historian Elena Ortiz. "We want to leave a legacy and hope people recognize the changes we're making this year." In addition to supporting the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, CHOC Walk, and going green initiatives, the girls are looking and planning to help as many organizations as possible. They plan on adopting a child from Ethiopia, where just a dollar a month from the potential 35-member large club could support a child in need. Visiting senior citizen homes and conducting food drives are also just a few things they plan to accomplish over the course of the year. "There are so many organizations we would like to help, we can't even help all of them," said at-large representative Allison Solano. In order to support the various charities they plan to be involved with, the cabinet members look for ambitious girls who are willing to dedicate their time to volunteer after school and on weekends. An application and interview process are conducted in order to join Normaneers, to show potential members that what they do is taken very seriously. "We're looking for girls that really are passionate about helping the various organizations," said secretary and treasurer Sarah Ortiz. "We don't want people to just join for a college application; they need to have the drive." Donations and sponsorships are a major entity of the club. Local restaurants such as Tacos Don Chente and several other local businesses have all stepped up in the past to sponsor the girls' initiatives, and the club is hoping to double their sponsorships this year. The more funds they are able to raise, the more charities they are able to support. With their tenacity and ambition as a club, the Normaneers girls are poised for success and are well on their way to achieving their dreams for the year.

********** Published: October 2, 2009 - Volume 8 - Issue 24