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Upper Perkiomen students aid veterans

Upper Perkiomen School District ›  |  Posted on
Students distribute clothes, personal items and gift cards to veterans and their families
Students distribute clothes, personal items and gift cards to veterans and their families

This past holiday season, students from the Upper Perkiomen High School (UPHS) in the Upper Perkiomen School District football, cheer and band programs reached out to help needy veterans in Reading by distributing clothes, personal items and $6,000 worth of gift cards they collected and raised funds for in the UPHS Football Second Annual ​Veterans’ Drive.

Working with Berks’ Veterans Making A Difference, under the supervision of assistant football coach Vince Leskusky, students traveled to Hope Rescue Mission to help more than 50 veterans and their families.

“I’ve taught and coached with (head football coach Tom) Hontz for almost all of my 26 years at Upper Perk,” said Leskusky, who also has been a longtime wrestling coach for the district. “We both preach that these kids will only play football or cheer for a few more years, but they will be decent people or not the rest of their lives. All the coaches want to give them the best opportunities to not only win on the field, but to succeed off of it.” For more stories like these, visit the Council for the Advancement of Public Schools website: http://friendsofpubliced.org/caps-kudos/ .