Members of the Unaka High School Future Business Leaders of America Chapter recently competed in the FBLA State Conference and brought home an award for their community service.

The UHS FBLA Chapter captured third place honors in the Community Service Project Competition. The chapter entered a service project where they collaborated with their colleagues in several of the school’s other student organizations to make a difference in the lives of nursing home residents.

Members of the FBLA partnered with members of the Family Career Community Leaders of America, Health Occupations Students of America, and the UHS Key Club to create fidget aprons. Fidget aprons can be worn by patients with Alzheimer’s or dementia and feature a variety of items such as zippers, small toys, buttons, snaps, and other things that the patient can “fidget” with.

The students sewed the fidget aprons and attached different things for the patients. The aprons also included bright colors and a variety of textures. And, no two aprons were alike.

After all the aprons were completed, the students then visited local nursing homes to spend time with the residents and present them with their fidget blankets.

Before the State Conference, the UHS FBLA chapter had to write a paper on their project as well as developing a power point presentation.

“All that is submitted before the conference,” said FBLA Chapter Adviser Melissa Loveless, who teaches the Business Technology program at Unaka.

At the State Conference, UHS FBLA President Lexi Garland, Vice President Levi Buckles, and Secretary Jaida Walters had to give a strictly timed presentation on the chapter’s project.

“If they go over the seven minutes they are penalized,” Loveless said.

With their third-place showing at the State Conference, the UHS FBLA chapter is now eligible to compete at the FBLA National Conference, which will be held in Baltimore, Maryland this summer.

Community service is one of the important core values of FBLA, and one that the UHS chapter places a significant emphasis on.

“Community outreach and community service, to me, is a lifelong thing,” Loveless said. “We hope they can see they can always do something to give back to the community.”