HCC Forensics Team members collect for tornado victims

It has been a busy season for Forensics Team members at Highland Community College. This is a team that gets to know their competitors well and to quote one HCC student, ?it?s like we are all a big family.?

It is this family feel that has spurred the Forensics Team to take action to help the victims of the tornados this past week that devastated the community of Harrisburg, located in southern Illinois.
During a tournament held last weekend, the HCC students came home ready to take a stockpile of donated items to Harrisburg next week when they compete at South Eastern Illinois College, which is located in Harrisburg.

Jim Yeager, who is the Forensics Team Coach at HCC, said Harrisburg is a small community that needs help.

?The college is okay from the tornado, but it is a small community and when something of this magnitude happens to families, it happens to all, and we just want to do something to help out,? Yeager said. ?Here at the college, we are accepting non-perishable items, personal hygiene items, and clothing ? whatever something people want to give.

?The people of Harrisburg have lost everything and whatever we can take to them will help them get on their feet,? he added.

Students to Help

Kristina Kerchner, Alex Aebly, and Max Rude worked alongside their coach Thursday to help pack items they plan to take with them when they leave on March 15 for Harrisburg. Yeager plans to take a van to the forensics competition, loaded with donated items from this community.

There are bins on campus at HCC for people to leave donated items. Kerchner said the Forensics Team is getting assistance from Phi Theta Kappa with the collection.

?I have also put out the word to my family and friends to donate the items,? Kerchner said.
?I think it?s a great thing and I know if it were me personally, I would appreciate it,? Aebly said. ?I?m a fan of paying it forward.?

Rude said he thinks about his ?forensics family? at South Eastern Illinois College that has been affected by the devastation of the tornado in the community.

?It?s an idea that our family in forensics was hurt and we want to give back to our family and community,? Rude said.

Yeager said they will drop off the items with the Red Cross and other organizations once they get to Harrisburg. His team will be attending a regional forensics tournament there next weekend.

?Thankfully, things are beginning to stack up here on campus with what we have received up to this point and we plan to leave March 15, and we will accept donations up until we leave,? Yeager said.
Items being collected include food, hygiene items, and any clothing people wish to donate. People can look for bins at the college or take their donations to Room 210 in the HCC library building.

?We are doing this to help out ? to make a difference in someone?s life,? Kerchner said.

Source: http://www.journalstandard.com/news/x453926038/HCC-Forensics-Team-members-collect-for-tornado-victims

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