WHS’ Chapter Of Linens N Love Holding Linens Drive

Westwood High School’s chapter of Linens N Love is holding a linens drive between now and December 11, 2020. There are boxes at the high school, Westwood Public Library, and Westwood Senior Center.

“During the summer months, I spent a lot of time thinking about ways I could help my community. It hurt to hear about all the hardships that front-line workers were facing, but their self-sacrifice and strength were also incredibly inspiring. I connected with Linens N Love and applied to start a new chapter here in Westwood, and was approved by their Board in late August. From there, I put together a team of leaders, introduced the mission to them, and began to discuss what we could do this year. We all felt the need to support our community in some way, but it was tough to grapple with the realities of a pandemic and we wondered how we were going to adapt the organization's model of service work to the situation we were facing,” explains WHS senior and chapter president Annie Li.

Linens N Love’s mission statement emphasizes the importance of the leadership of its student chapters. “For me, “student-led” means that from conception to completion, any project or initiative is carried out by students working as a team. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the insights of adults and teachers are unwelcome, especially since our incredible and resourceful advisor, Ms. Flanagan (an English teacher at Westwood High School) has been extremely helpful, but this does mean that our organization is built on the motivation and genuine passion for giving back of its students. Thus, the students are the leaders and doers, responsible for coming up with the ideas and carrying them out. Part of Linens N Love’s mission is to develop high-school student leaders, nurturing students’ ability to independently connect with outside sources, find solutions to their problems, and empower their community,” says Li.

“New Linens N Love chapters receive some mentorship from the founders and experienced chapter presidents. Especially with COVID-19 restrictions, I was uncertain about the logistics of collecting a hotel donation, but we wanted to get things rolling with the club, so the officer team and I decided to direct our efforts towards a project of our own. Hotel donations are highlighted on the website and in the mission statement, but we really aren’t contained to this one area. Westwood and the other chapters have engaged in drives and fundraisers, and we use social media to raise awareness/to educate people about sustainability and environmental issues. In the end, it all circles back to one goal of uplifting those in need and building a bright future that leaves no one behind,” says Li.

Items which the Westwood chapter of Linens N Love are collecting are: pillows, bedsheets, blankets, towels (all can be used if in good condition), and household goods such as shampoo, soap, and cleaning products. Li reports that she is communicating with local homeless shelters to give them the results of drive in a COVID-19 safe manner.

Li and the other members of WHS’ chapter of Linens N Love are no strangers to community service. Li has been a mentor with Westwood Youth & Family Services’ Bullying Prevention Theatre and Body Safety Theatre. Li also served as a volunteer at Hanlon School on election day, sanitizing polling booths. Linens N Love’ Vice President, Stacey Li, serves as a director of Asian Youth Civic Engagement Boston Chapter, and is also an officer of WHS’ Let’s Talk About Race, Culture, and Ethnicity club.

Secretary Bonnie Liu is involved in Art Club, and also participates in Unified Track. Brenna Cox, who handles Linens N Love’s communication, is a captain of Unified Track, a team that encourages competition and builds close relationships between the abled and disabled community. Liu also volunteers at Hebrew Senior Life.