Friends of Rachel Club Celebrates 20 Years of Kindness

In 2006, the Rachel’s Challenge organization presented an event in the Brighton High School gym on the importance of living a life of kindness, peace, and including others. Rachel’s Challenge began as a direct result of the Columbine school shooting and the discovery of student victim Rachel Scott’s personal journal, which challenged others to start a chain reaction of kindness and other positive goals.

As a result of this challenge, Brighton High School formed a club called Friends of Rachel to demonstrate and support these goals. Friends of Rachel (F.O.R.) Club is now 20 years old. During that time, F.O.R. has helped BHS build a safe and positive environment by leading numerous others-first-focused events, such as National Mix It Up Day, peanut butter and jelly lunch factories for the Open Door Mission, staff appreciation days, and Festival of Ideas workshops. The Brighton club has received awards both locally and nationally for its kindness-centered work. The club celebrated its anniversary with an ice cream mixer after school during Red Ribbon Week.

Rachel’s Challenges are to dream big and believe in yourself; be kind to others; practice positive gossip; show appreciation; and be the answer.