Polio vaccine.

Effects of COVID-19 in oceans.

The future of Antarctica and global warming. 

These are just a few of the topics a new non-profit organization, Care Wiki, run by Redhawks, covers as it seeks to educate the public about current science events and give back to the community. 

“I always wanted to help our community in some way, and the COVID-19 pandemic helped me to convert an initiative into action,” president, junior Stephanie Chung said. “Curious about the scientific and medical aspects of the new virus, I started to research it. I was surprised to find out that there are so many incorrect pieces of information online, and lots of scientific journals used esoteric languages that would be difficult for the general public to understand. Hence, I initiated the creation of the nonprofit organization, Care Wiki, where we aim to make sure the right information gets to the general public in digestible chunks.”

The club unites students interested in deep-diving into issues like the current COVID pandemic, but it also goes into all things science. 

“Care Wiki is very community driven, so I first and foremost want to help us thrive by creating a platform where anyone can share their ideas and perspective,” historian, senior Tamer Bsoul said. “From meetings to social media posts, people share useful information that helps others in the community move forward. Each member and officer can contribute to those goals by doing research, sharing something interesting at a meeting, or helping in their own way.”

While focused on promoting conversations on current events, the club also places an emphasis on their presence on social media, creating graphics to display information in simple ways.

“We actively run our social media account to inform the general public of the recent news in the science and medical industry,” Chung said. “The members and officers have opportunities to research the specific topic of their interest using credible resources and write articles or make posters about it to be posted on our website Care-wiki.org. Through writing science-related articles, members can not only develop their research skills but also help spread awareness. The public can check our website to read the articles and they can also download the PDF file of our posters as well.”

Members like junior Tanisha Ghag have enjoyed acquiring knowledge in the science field and meeting others with similar interests. 

“I chose to join Care Wiki as I was very interested in the movement of helping others and contributing towards it,” she said. “Being a member of Care Wiki has made me a lot more aware of what’s going around in the world, and I am really grateful that I have got a chance to meet new people and help the society.”

Going beyond discussions and into the community, Care Wiki started its project ‘Mask Straps for Educators’ as part of their mission to help. 

“In order to help teachers who have to wear masks all day long and to show a token of gratitude, I decided to conduct the ‘Mask Straps for Educators’ campaign in Care Wiki,” Chung said.  “I have been using mask straps and I found it very convenient when taking my mask on and off throughout the day. All the mask straps are handmade and packed by Care Wiki officers and members, and we donated 200 mask straps to all teachers and staff at Liberty High School in February.”

Continuing their spread of kindness, the club plans to reach across the district and donate these mask straps to other Frisco schools. 

“We donated another 200 mask straps to Centennial High School teachers and staff and Heritage High School is next,” Chung said. “I relish all the moments of making these mask straps and helping our community fills me with joy. As I make more mask straps, my passion for helping and contributing to our society grows day by day.”