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Both co-presidents, Jordan Wallace and Olivia Weirtz, are pictured. "I got involved with Key Club and became a junior officer with my best friend Olivia. President and vice president were kind of the next steps for us. I really enjoy being president because I have so many wonderful girls who make my job easy," senior Jordan Wallace said.

As she sits in the hairdressers chair, she watches her pony tail fall to the ground. The hairdresser asks for consent once again to make sure she is still willing to. The locks of brown, curly hair that once reached her lower ribs, are now just barely past her shoulders.

Senior Jordan Wallace commits a large portion of her free time to helping others. To her, improving the community is not only a way to help those who need it, but it is also a way to form togetherness and create a better place to live for those around her.

Key Club

Wallace has been apart of key club and various other volunteering clubs her entire high school career. Key club is an organization, based off Kiwanis, for students to partake in events where they can earn service hours and meet new community members. Last year the club had a total of 6,599 community service hours logged by members. Being involved in the club has allowed her to grow as a person. By helping those in the community, she has learned that her work is appreciated by many.

Wallace said, “My favorite thing about volunteering is being able to form relationships with other people. Volunteering locally also shows that you don’t need to travel across the world to help people.”

Not only has Wallace impacted those in her community, but also those involved in the club. Being the president, Wallace introduces new service events in a way which includes everyone and makes them have fun while helping the community.

Senior Haley Tholen said, “Especially at meetings, she expresses strong encouragement for people to participate in events organized by key club because it is a great way to get service hours and meet new people.”

Wallace succeeds as a leader because of her drive to help others. Her job as president often requires organizing events and communicating with others to find new opportunities and discover new ways to improve the club. She is able to choose the best opportunities for the club to allow members to have access to the most hours and impactful events.

Tholen added, “Jordan is a suitable leader for the club because she’s firm and always has good reasoning, yet she still has a heart when it comes to making a difference in the community.”

Being able to plan all events is often overlooked, but is a skill that is appreciated by those involved in the club.

Club administrator, Dusty Dennis said, “Jordan and the other officers have planned on every single volunteer and key club event that we have had.”

Donating hair 

Since ninth grade, Wallace has brightened someone’s day after her hair donation is sent in. Pantene Beautiful Lengths is a charity put on by Pantene, where people are allowed to cut their hair and send it in, which allows Pantene to donate the hair to The national American Cancer Society Wig Bank, where they supply wigs to those in need of one. One must donate at least 8 inches, but if they are not able to reach the requirement, many donate $8 to the foundation.

Donating hair is often overlooked because many don’t understand what it means to those in need. Many forget that hair can provide those without it, confidence and make them feel less like outcasts. Pantene has been able to make over 42,000 wigs for the cause.

Wallace said, ” I guess I decided to cut my hair just because it’s such a simple thing that made a lot of sense. Once you cut your hair, it’s not like you have any use for it. You just throw it away. But people can actually use the hair that means nothing to you, and it might mean a lot to them. It might give them back confidence they lost or return to normalcy to their life. And if something that is trash to me can do something great for them, I don’t see why I wouldn’t do it. I’ve been doing it since ninth grade. I cut it every year in October since it’s breast cancer awareness month.”

Volunteering in the future

Being a senior, Wallace needs to decide on her post secondary plans. As of now, she is planning to graduate from a four year college and then possibly attending medical school. For Wallace, being a doctor would allow her to use the traits she has been using to help others for many years and expand them.

Tholen said, “In five years I see Jordan continuing her passion of helping the community inside and outside of her job field. She’s looking at going into the medical field, so she will be able to use her talents and skills to make a difference in the community as a part of her occupation. Also, I know she will continue to pursue community events to ensure that she is staying involved as much as possible.”