![Minutes before the Activities Fair in the gym, president Abhi Gowda ‘26 prepares the stall for his club Helping Hands, Sept. 4. A relatively new club, Helping Hands was co-started by Gowda and focuses on assisting the homeless, and just last year they succeeded in raising a couple hundred donations to send to shelters. This year, they have goals to expand, with hopes to increase volunteer opportunities and take in-person trips to shelters, as well as extend their help beyond just homeless people. “The Activities Fair gives a lot of underclassmen the opportunity to really get to know the Canyon culture, and it gives them many opportunities for service and volunteering,” Gowda said. “[Through the Activities Fair,] I hope to find a bunch of new and passionate members about our club and just get our name out there and spread awareness to the cause that we’re fighting for.”](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/1-2-1200x885.jpg)
![The winter guard team makes fifth place at the state championship finals in the Denver Coliseum, March 30. The team performed to Barnes Country's “Glitter and Gold,” lead by coaches Margo Sanford, Blair Bickerton and Anna Orgren. In their class there were a total of nine groups participating, and the top five who made it to finals received a plaque. “[Walking onto the stage] is very nerve-wracking, but also very exciting as well. When you first start color guard there's a lot of anxiety and uncertainty when you first perform in front of an audience, but once you've done it for a while, it starts to become the best part of the season,” Ella West ‘25 said. “It's very fulfilling to see an audience react to something you've put your heart and soul into.”](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Both-socal-media-nd-website-main-1-1200x846.jpg)
![April marks the 25th anniversary of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, created by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC). This month is to spread awareness of the harassment, assault and abuse that happens around the world. The symbol that represented the month was a teal ribbon; however, some survivors of assault create different symbols and movements like the TikTok trend in 2022, where survivors would tattoo Medusa on their body, in honor of her backstory in Greek Mythology. “I don't think [this month is known] at all. I rarely see anybody talk about it. I rarely see much of an emphasis on posting it online, or much discussion about it, and I feel like there needs to be way more discussion,” an anonymous source said. “I think just validating every experience that a person has gone through, regardless of the degree of it, the severity, is an essential step into making sure that people are aware that this is a very real problem in a society and that we need to do better in addressing it.”](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_0011-1200x900.jpg)
![Lesbian Visibility Day is April 26, and it’s a holiday to celebrate the lesbian community of the world. Lesbian Visibility day was established in 2008 by many queer activists and organizations who sought to raise more awareness for lesbian history and culture. “So this is why during Lesbian Visibility [Day] we celebrate and center all lesbians, both cis and trans, while also showing solidarity with all LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary people,” Linda Reily, in an article written by her, said.](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Lesbian-Visibility-day.jpeg)
Have you ever pulled up at a stoplight and seen a homeless person asking around for money?
While homelessness may seem like an impossible problem, with thousands of people without a home in Denver alone, there’s an effective way to help here at Rock Canyon: Hats for Hope.
Hats For Hope is a non-profit organization based out of Highlands Ranch, Colorado. It was created by Achal Goel ‘24, Nathan Kim ‘24, Sejal Daukia ‘24, Owen Trask ‘24, Macy Howell ‘24, Makenzie Spires ‘24, Zoe Taylor ‘24, Ty Sloan ‘24 and Matthew Shipley ‘24 for their High School of Business Capstone Project.
The student-led company has one goal: to help alleviate the problem of homelessness in Denver.
To fund its goal, Hats For Hope produced embroidered beanies with their company logo. Beanies sell for $20 with the profits donated to the Homeless Awareness Action Task Force in Englewood.
Although the team originally planned to produce wallets, the concept of beanies resonated more strongly with the preferences of the team.
Hats For Hope uses Denver Athletics for all production and manufacturing, and the team utilizes an Instagram account named @hatsforhope_ for their marketing priorities.
They hope to make as much profit as possible from February through mid-March to accomplish their goal of a healthier society.
“Hats for Hope is dedicated to giving everyone a warm place to sleep during severe weather. One beanie helps one person, so slowly we can make a difference,” CEO Achal Goel ’24 said.