Normally when we think of the season of giving, Christmas comes to mind. Here at Minnetonka High School, though, there is another time for giving: Heart Week. It’s not just “giving” flowers to your date either; it involves giving back to the community through a charity called Minnetonka Family Friends. All of the money raised during Heart Week goes toward this philanthropic cause, cycling the amount of money
that students have spent back into helping the less fortunate in the district.
Minnetonka Family Friends is a charity that primarily focuses on helping students and families within the Minnetonka
school district meet many needs. To first receive help from Family Friends, a parent or student asks for aid or is referred to the charity by a teacher. The charity is completely confidential and helps students and families with needs such as ACT fees, school lunch money, and family heating bills. Most school-related fees are paid through the bursar’s office, while out-of-school aid is often given in the form of a giftard. In addition to giving this monetary aid, Family Friends also directs its recipients to other organizations like food shelves, if necessary.
Minnetonka High School’s Heart Week provides an enormous amount of funding for this charity; last year alone, about $25,000 was donated to Family Friends. The Minnetonka School District also runs several events in addition to Heart Week to support the charity, such a benefit dinner and a silent auction. Family Friends also receives money from United Way and private donors, but the charity still relies heavily on the money that students have spent, which makes up the bulk of its funding.
So, although a few of our wallets have been emptied by the purchases of singing telegrams, matchmakers, and (I’m sure) Breezes love notes, rest assured that all of the money will be used for a good cause. All the money that Minnetonka has put into Heart Week will go straight back to  serving the community, so the contributions by the student body can be enjoyed by those who really need it.