Frankfort High School’s CRASH Club gives students opportunities to share and uplift Latino culture while also serving their community. Its members regularly work to educate others, recognize important cultural traditions, and organize projects that benefit schools across CSF.
Founded in 2012, CRASH (Community Raising and Starting Heroes) began with a small group of students who wanted to help others. Today, the club has grown to approximately 115 members. Its mission remains focused on supporting the Latino community while welcoming students who want to learn about different cultures and get involved. In doing so, the club has served as a bridge between the different cultures that comprise the school community.
The club’s beginnings were actually tied to a student in need of a kidney transplant. The original group helped raise money to cover the student’s medical expenses, and community members joined the effort. Establishing CRASH as an official school club allowed students to continue helping others while creating a space for cultural learning and service. Staff sponsors Jeanna Johnson and Esmeralda Cruz have helped guide the club’s work since its early days.
“The students are our greatest resource. They want to serve. CRASH gives them the opportunity, the open door, to help out in our community,” Johnson shared.
CRASH members work to make Latino culture more visible throughout CSF, especially during Hispanic Heritage Month, observed from September 15 to October 15. Each year, students visit the district’s elementary schools to give presentations on topics such as traditional foods, flags, dances, quinceañeras, and native animals. These presentations give younger students a chance to learn about Hispanic and Latino cultures directly from FHS students.
The club also partners with the FHS Spanish Club to celebrate Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. Students decorate the hallways and create ofrendas, or altars, honoring loved ones who have passed away. The displays help staff and students learn about the tradition and its significance while providing a space to remember those who are missed.
Service projects are another regular part of CRASH. Members hold an annual toy and game drive, raising money by making and selling frituras to provide elementary classrooms with activities for indoor recess. Students also volunteer at the Frankfort Community Public Library’s Read-a-thon and help organize community celebrations for traditions such as Día de los Niños. The club is a strong supporter of the Frankfort RAICES Festival each year. Members also volunteer at school events, including elementary family nights for the district’s multilingual learners and their families. Earlier this year, students even attended a School Board meeting to share the club’s vision and discuss its impact at FHS and throughout the Frankfort community.
Any FHS student interested in the club’s mission is welcome to join. Members can take on leadership roles and gain experience through volunteer work. This year’s officers are President Maria Flores-Hernandez, Vice President Brandon Lopez-Mejia, Secretary Nallely Yanez, Treasurer Yeraldin Coloa-Beristain, Historian Giselle Figueroa, and Community Involvement Coordinator Yuvinelly Cornejo-Torres. Johnson and Cruz serve as the club’s staff sponsors.
At its heart, CRASH is about bringing people together and finding ways to help others. Through cultural education and service, CRASH members make a difference both in CSF schools and throughout Frankfort. Their work helps students better understand one another while giving club members meaningful ways to support the people and communities around them.