EHS has a brand-new service organization. It’s fun. It’s focused. But most importantly, it’s female.

Junior Dara Stack got the idea to start the Females for Philanthropy after she became a member of SIUE’s Meridian Society, a group of mostly female activists. She said that she wanted to bring that activism to EHS, for girls in particular.

“The club provides opportunities for girls to be leaders,” Stack said, “whether it be volunteering or hosting a fundraiser…Since it is Females for Philanthropy, female leadership is a big part of the club.”

Other students at EHS clearly have similar ideas about service. Junior Elise Griffin said she joined the club because she wanted to be a part of Stack’s vision and represent her own ideals at EHS.

“I decided to join because I am a feminist and I wanted to start a club that focused on feminism, but I never had to courage to,” Griffin said. “When Dara…said she was starting it, I was so excited because she did what I was too afraid to do. I wanted to help support her.”

The club will widen EHS’s already large base of charity organizations, including EPIC and Interact Club. Junior Olivia Fensterman, who joined Females for Philanthropy, said that charity is a vital component of any community, and it’s good that the club is contributing to that effort.

“I think giving back is always important, and how a (community) treats its most vulnerable, like the poor, old, and sick, etc., is a reflection of how empathetic they are as a whole,” Fensterman said. “Giving back is a good thing to do and (it) can set a good example for others.”

The club, which meets every other Thursday starting on the Dec. 6, will go to the drawing board as a group to think up projects and initiatives to support using the organization Care.org, Stack said. She believes a club like Females for Philanthropy is an important avenue for girls to have in modern-day America.

“I think that too often, women and young girls are taught that they don’t have much of a role in supporting their community or the world,” Stack said. “However, I think that women have so much to contribute and that both the community and the world will benefit greatly from more female involvement in important matters.”