Last October the 60 members of Evergreen Key Club, a student service organization at Evergreen High School of White Center, went through a rigorous application process for the Starbucks Youth Venture Grant.

The startup grant gives youths with an initiative to better the community the necessary funding for the first year of their "venture" and is sponsored by Starbucks in partnership with Youth Venture.

After many after school meetings, the club's members struck an idea that seemed to be the perfect project and it became the "Kill the Chill" venture. The club aims to mobilize youth in community service and ultimately to make improvements in ailing societal issues.

Students hand made scarves and then donated the finished products to aid organizations that serve the homeless population, actions that accomplished the two goals of the project.

In addition, from past experiences of volunteering, the Evergreen club members noticed the homeless are deficient in both care and warmth during the blustery winter months and by providing these handmade scarves, the club members hoped to help alleviate both problems.

The initial application process required a detailed action plan which included general ideas and an overview to the very minute details of an inventory of supplies and their costs. After this first step, three representatives from the club attended a panel discussion to present this seed to three members of the Starbucks Corporation and two greater Seattle community leaders. As a fruit to their hard work, the members were awarded an $800 grant and went quickly to work.

In a month's time of hard work from the 60 students, 100 scarves were made and donated on Feb. 18 to the Union Gospel Mission in Seattle's Pioneer Square.

Key Club members all agreed that there was not another place they'd rather spend a day during their mid-winter break. Moreover, the students were thrilled to be joined by Youth Venture's Jack Knellinger, Kyle Taylor and Melina Buckley. Kyle and Melina, who are currently on a road trip to visit ventures around the country, found time to drop by and document the progress of Kill the Chill and the venture's successes. After donating the scarves to the mission, students were treated to a tour of the organization's six-leveled men's shelter.

At the end of the day, everyone walked out feeling accomplished and with their hope of giving back to the community fulfilled.

But this initiative is far from a single spurt of effort, for Evergreen Key Club hopes to build continuity to its venture and will be busily cutting away at fleece every winter season.

To learn more about the venture, visit: www.evergreenkeyclub.wordpress.com

Julia Huang is the Key Club president at Evergreen High School.