West Chicago Community High School’s Operation Snowball trip to the Loredo Taft Campus in Oregon, Illinois has been rescheduled for February 9-11.
The weekend retreat is a long-standing tradition at WCCHS, and was originally scheduled on January 12, but due to unfortunate weather circumstances an eLearning day was called, causing Snowball to reschedule.
In 1977, in Rockford, Illinois, the Illinois Teenage Institute created Operation Snowball from the idea that positive impacts can snowball, and affect other people in a positive way as well.
“The idea is if you can give good ideas and ways to manage the things I just spoke about two-hundred forty students and they come back here and tell three of their friends. And those three friends talk to three of their friends. The idea snowballs,” adviser Beth Schuck said.
Snowball was then funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery, a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. For the past 50 years, Snowball has worked to create a welcoming environment and encourage youth to take action to better themselves and the people around them. The program has influenced the youth to create positive peer support and to recognize the youth as part of the solution.
“Snowball is an international youth leadership program that focuses on staying away from drugs and alcohol and other substances, good mental health, and making good choices,” Schuck said.
While applications for the event were due on Jan. 31, it is never too early to start thinking about attending next year’s event.
Snowball offers scholarships that allow students who want to participate in the retreat, but are not able to pay the full price of $150. These opportunities allow qualifying students to pay half the price while fundraising the rest.
The group also hosted a fundraiser in December, selling holiday cookie decorating kits.
Schuck stressed that the group is willing to work with students who want to attend the event.
“If $75 is too much for your family to handle, come talk to us anyway because we can make something work we never want. We never want money to be a reason that you can’t go to Snowball,” Schuck said.
The group will also begin seeking applications for student leaders in the fall of next year.
