St. Brendan Catholic School senior Mackenzie McCormick has spent much of her high school years volunteering for community causes in Pinecrest, and she is now taking on a larger role. She serves as a junior ambassador for A Safe Haven for Newborns, a group that assists infants surrendered at fire stations or hospitals by a parent during the first month of life.
For eight years she has helped her mother with the Safe Haven gala and silent auction. This summer she started asking companies for donations.
This spring, McCormick organized a baby shower drive at St. Brendan. She placed collection boxes in a teacher’s classroom and promoted the drive with flyers and school announcements. Students donated baby shampoo, wash, powder, clothes, pacifiers, diapers, stuffed animals, blankets and toys. McCormick worked with the school’s Future Business Leaders of America club on the effort, and she said the items went to Safe Haven to support mothers in need.
She also volunteers with the Humanities Ministry at St. Louis Catholic Church. The ministry runs a Christmas Family to Family gift drive, a Thanksgiving goods drive and a back-to-school backpack drive. McCormick helps unload and wrap gifts, packs Thanksgiving boxes and has delivered them to families. Through the church’s Camillus Casserole program, she and her mother cook and donate a meal about once a month.
McCormick also coached the church’s middle school volleyball team last year and hopes to return. She plays outside hitter for the Saint Brendan varsity team and is applying to colleges including the University of Florida, the University of Central Florida, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt and American University. She is considering an engineering major outside the medical field.
