Arrowhead SAVE Club Shares Veteran Stories
Arrowhead’s SAVE team, which stands for Survivor and Veteran Experiences, interview veterans and Holocaust survivors to share their stories with future generations.
According to the Arrowhead High School website, the SAVE team seeks to “educate our peers about this period in history and celebrate these brave men and women with special events and fundraising efforts. It is our hope to honor these heroes before they are gone and to make others aware of the sacrifices made by that generation.”
The club began at Swallow School, after students worked on a service project. Students were inspired by Honor Flight, a nonprofit organization that sends veterans to see memorials of the wars they fought in. A group decided to implement SAVE at Arrowhead to continue the mission of supporting veterans.
SAVE encourages students to learn more about Veteran’s Day. “Veteran’s Day is extremely important for SAVE. Veterans have sacrificed their lives for freedom, and it is important that we honor them (not just on Veterans Day, but everyday). Getting the opportunity to meet veterans in our area gives Veteran’s Day a whole new meaning since we have a personal connection,” said student leader Elise Ove, senior.
Veterans are the focus of every SAVE meeting. Typical meeting activities include discussing and planning events. The meetings will also include an activity such as educational presentations, letter writing to veterans, and informational Kahoots, says Ove.
Students interested in joining SAVE should contact advisors Shanna Hechimovich ([email protected]) or Daniel Miller ([email protected]). The Arrowhead website states that the team usually meets on the third Thursday of the month from 2:45 to 3:30 in room N193. Veteran interviews take place after school or on weekends.
A favorite SAVE activity is the annual spring Veteran’s Coffee. Ove said, “This event is very personal and you get to sit down and talk with veterans and hear all about their lives. This event is a great way to say thank you for all they’ve done for our country.”
Senior student leader Caroline McCance encourages students to participate, saying, “Arrowhead students should be passionate about SAVE’s mission because many veterans are passing away and it’s important to learn about their stories and history. Our generation could be the final generation to hear the stories of WWII veterans in person, so it is important that we value them. It is also important to give back to those who have done so much for us and our country.”
