LAPEER, Michigan –This week, the Lapeer High School Student Council gave a warm reception to Robert Kowalski (Grand Master) and Ken Hickman, representatives of state and local members of the Oddfellows of Michigan.

The men presented a plaque to the student council as a token of their appreciation for the $800 raised by the students to support their United Nations Pilgrimage for Youth. This is a program that several current and former LCS students have participated in.

“I know I was, and others with me, very gratified to receive this gift,” Kowalksi said. “I had to recognize the heart, and the giving spirit.”

Kowalski said the gift was “social validation” for their program.

“I’ve been around a handful of years, and this is the first time I can remember having this sort of community support,” he said.

Kowalski shared with the group his motto for the year, particularly prescient for his trip to Lapeer: Through giving, we receive.

“This is such a giving group,” said longtime teacher and sponsor Char Cornell. “They have given so much just this year. For me, (the Odd Fellows’) presence today reaffirms that our efforts do not go unnoticed.”

Earlier this month, LHS students Kellee Byard and Ava Strasser were elected as delegates by the Lapeer Oddfellows for the 2016 United Nations Pilgrimage.

An Odd Fellow bases their thoughts and actions on healthy philosophical principles. They believe that life is a commitment to improve and elevate the character of humanity through service and example. They support the idea that all people irrespective of creed, race, color, nationality, social status, sex, rank and station are brothers and sisters.