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More than 30 local residents came home this week to a yard full of hearts in honor of Valentine's Day, thanks to some creative fundraising from local students.
Fifteen-year-old Adrienne Adamson and her friend Bradan Harris, 16, have delivered hundreds of hand-painted hearts to local homes for Valentine's Day this year.
The two are among eight local teens who were chosen to go to Europe this summer with People to People International. The catch: The students have to pay nearly $7,000 for the 18-day trip.
"It's overwhelming. It's a very big number," said Adamson, a freshman at A&M Consolidated High School.
The students have spent more than a month painting cardboard hearts and, this week, delivered them to local homes.
The brightly colored hearts are stapled onto yard stakes and then used to decorate lawns, Adamson said. The pair collected between $15 and $50 for each home, they said.
The two friends came up with the idea after seeing something similar online, Adamson said. By Friday, they had raised nearly $800.
Harris said he'd been working every day, making and delivering hearts.
"It's been a very busy week," the home-schooled sophomore said.
In addition to the "Heart Attack" fundraiser, Adamson has been making "spirit blankets" to sell at school, and Harris said he'd been raising support among local service organizations.
But it's worth it, they said.
"I am so excited. I can't wait until summer. I am extremely, extremely excited," Adamson said. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I can't wait."
People to People International, which was founded in 1956 by President Dwight Eisenhower, sends thousands of adults and students abroad every year to increase understanding among people from different countries, according to its Web site.
College Station resident Karl Tewold has led delegations of student ambassadors overseas for the past four summers.
This summer, he and his wife, Gwen, will take 21 area students -- including Adamson and Harris -- to England and France. The trip is worth a semester of high school class credit.
Each student was selected after being nominated by a teacher and completing an interview.
Among the highlights of the trip, Tewold said, the students will meet with a member of Parliament and stay several nights with an English family.
Students from Brenham, Hearne, Houston, Centerville, Caldwell, Huntsville and Madisonville will be in Tewold's delegation.
"Each student pays their own way. Most do it through fundraising," he said.
Tewold said it's remarkable to see how much students mature and grow through the trips.
The team departs June 11.
