Hempstead Elementary School students are making an impact beyond the classroom. The Just Craftin’ Around Club is a new after-school club for Hempstead Elementary students in Grades 2-5.
The club got its start in October 2022, when Hempstead Elementary teacher, Lainthia Stubblefield and her co-sponsor Ms. Alexander decided to share her love of crafting and DIY projects with students. Since then the students have created fall crafts to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, made candy apples for Breast Cancer Awareness month, turkey wreaths for Thanksgiving, and Christmas crafts for the holidays. After each meeting, the students are able to take home the crafts they made.
This December they decided to spend a few weeks creating something for others. The students created various craft items for the campus staff to purchase or donate back to the group's initiative to provide a toy for children in the hospital. Bisha’s Bling and Mama Stubb Driving School donated the materials needed for the students to fulfill the craft orders. 
“I am passionate about giving and helping others and I feel that it is necessary to teach children the importance of community service, which impacts the lives of others as well as themselves,” Stubblefield said. “I want them to understand the importance of taking care of others outside of the school community will allow them to use their critical thinking skills, problem-solving, and teamwork to make a difference on a larger scale.”
The students led a community service project to donate 20 special gift bags, two Doodle Baby Buddies, and two tablets for children at Texas Children’s West Campus. This provided gifts for 20 patients at the hospital. The December project allowed the students to learn some entrepreneurship skills. The students read the order forms, filled out the labels, collected the donations, and delivered the items.
After finishing the project, the Just Craftin’ Around Club is looking forward to continuing to make a difference in others' lives and having fun while doing it.