By John Rohlf
The Message assistant editor
Through the baking of dozens of cupcakes, a St. Bernard School student donated around $1,400 to those impacted by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.
An eighth grader at St. Bernard School in Rockport, Amelia Schulte baked around 70 dozen cupcakes and helped raise $1,400 for hurricane relief in North Carolina. She said she baked a few hours each day over her fall break. Additionally, she is still baking cupcakes as coupons are redeemed for the cause.
“We’ve always tried to help as much as we can with anything,” Schulte said. “And I love baking. So my mom had this idea that I could bake cupcakes to raise money for hurricane relief in North Carolina.”
St. Bernard Principal Ryan Nowak thinks Schulte, as an eighth grader who has attended St. Bernard for grade school, can be an inspiration to all the younger students to strive to find acts of kindness for others. He noted this is one of several projects Schulte has done on her own outside of school projects.
“Amelia has always displayed a servant’s heart, and this is just the latest example of her helping others in need,” Nowak said. “It’s an inspiration to our younger students when they see our eighth graders like Amelia doing projects like this, and I know in the future we will have students doing similar things to help others because they saw Amelia do it. It’s truly a beautiful thing. I’m so proud of Amelia and grateful for her leadership.”
Schulte’s religion teacher Bonni Spencer said Schulte has been involved in the middle school group Builders Club her entire middle school career at St. Bernard. Schulte is “very active in that club” and volunteers for the projects she can, Spencer said. The projects completed through the club include road cleanup and organizing donations.
Spencer stressed Schulte is “very service oriented.”
“We talk a lot about how in religion class we are put on this earth to be of service,” Spencer said. “That Jesus was a servant to us and that is what we are called to do to be servants to each other. She is a good example of that.”
Schulte remarked she was a little surprised that she had so many orders for the cupcakes. She said while, “obviously everyone cared,” it surprised her so many people were going to help and help others.
She stressed the impact even a small donation can have on others in need.
“I think it’s important because even if you don’t think it’s making that big of a difference, you have no idea how it’s impacting the people’s lives that you’re trying to help,” Schulte said. “You don’t understand how much that helps them. So I think it’s good to help as much as you can.”