By Haley Mitchell Godwin

Since the fall, Highland Home School Jobs for Alabama’s Graduates (JAG) has been organizing and executing numerous campaigns to raise funds for their National Service Project. One of their successful initiatives included participating in an online auction hosted by Crenshaw County Board of Education Career Academy, that included hand-painted, Christmas-themed mason jars. 

Additionally, JAG students have been selling bottled water to help with the project. Through these fundraisers, the students successfully reached their original goal of raising $500. The National JAG organization will present the group with a certificate of merit for their hard work and dedication to the project on April 22 at the National Career Development Conference in Orlando,  FL. 

To help put their efforts towards something tangible, JAG instructor Leslie Flowers suggested documenting the group’s success and hard work by creating and selling a Highland Home School Cookbook to the public. 

“This isn’t just a Cookbook for us,”  Flowers said. “This cookbook is also not only a way for the chapter to fundraise, but it also serves as a time capsule, capturing the unique personalities and talents of each student.” 

The students were on board and they began taking orders for the cookbook March 1. Proceeds from the cookbook will go towards building their National Service Project funds and help with travel expenses for the students and overseeing officers. 

According to Flowers, through the creation of their Highland Home School Cookbook, students were given the opportunity to capture something special about themselves. 

“The student’s hard work has made the national project successful all the while, they have worked on the skills needed to be work-ready and college-ready adults,” Flowers said. “We have collected the student’s favorite recipes and the recipes of their grandparents and others from the community. Not only are we preserving local recipes,  but we are adding nostalgia to the mix. We are also able to support our local Crenshop at Crenshaw County Career Academy, as we are having the cookbooks printed there.”

Savannah Edgar, sophomore Highland Home JAG member, took charge of formating the submitted recipes to fit in a printed cookbook. She said she very much supports what the national JAG officers selected last year for the national service project, Habitat for Humanity. 

“When I visited Chicago last year with Future Business Leaders of America, the housing crisis was obvious,” Edgar said. “I saw a lot of families that could benefit from Habitat for Humanity. We have done a log of charity work lately with JAG. I am very honored to be able to help with things like this.”

Cookbooks are available for $16.00 each. All proceeds will benefit Habitat for Humanity and help with travel expenses for HHS JAG Students and National Career Readiness Certificate Officers. Please contact Leslie Flowers at Highland Home School at (334) 441-3424 or by email at leslie.flowers@crenshaw-schools.org.