At SALTT Club, there was one of those days that actually felt bigger than just a school event. FTK (For the Kids) brought everyone together for a full day of activities, fundraising, and spending time with the children from the Maya Center and partner schools, all while supporting a cause that directly impacts them.
The goal behind FTK is to raise money and awareness for the children SALTT supports. A lot of them are going through really hard situations right now. Some have been separated from their families because of harsh immigration policies, and others are dealing with rising costs that make even basic things like food really difficult. SALTT also supports children connected to Mother Chiara’s programs around the world who are facing similar struggles.
Junior Camila Andreu said, “It didn’t even feel like a school event at times; it just felt like a real camp.”
For people not signed up for FTK, we were encouraged to share the donation link so more support could come in. For those participating, everything ran through the GooseChase app using the code 289uap. Each team had a kid they were representing, and sophomores helped make sure every group had one. Teams completed challenges around campus, and there was even a chance to win $1,000, but honestly most people were focused on the kids and the experience.
Senior Alessandra Alvarez said, “It felt really good seeing everyone actually come together and just enjoy the day while helping out.”
The whole campus turned into kind of a mini camp for the day, featuring face painting, sports, dancing, carnival games, and just a lot of energy everywhere. Kids from different schools mixed with ILS studens, and even though the original SALTT camp plan at ILS didn’t happen in person this year because of different spring breaks, it still ended up feeling like participants got that same experience in a different way.
At the end, everything came together with a big dance party that honestly made the whole day feel complete.
Senior Nicolas Nauta said, “The kids were having a great time, and that made everything we did feel important.”
By the end of the day, it wasn’t really about points or challenges anymore. It was just about connection, energy, and knowing ILS was part of something that actually mattered.
