Turning compassion into action through the Red Cross

Maria Muzaurieta

When Maria Muzaurieta of San Jose was a sophomore at Bolles she started the school’s Red Cross Club as a way to combine her personal interest in medicine with her entrepreneurial spirit and her desire to “turn compassion into action.”

“Charitable work represents helping others in need, which is what life is all about,” said Muzaurieta, a 2016 Bolles graduate.

During Muzaurieta’s tenure as president, the club boasted nearly 60 members in her senior year and was named Bolles Club of the Year in 2015.

During its first year, the club raised $1,000 for the American Red Cross. In 2015, the regional chapter named Muzaurieta the Northeast Florida Red Cross Youth Volunteer of the Year, not only for her efforts at Bolles but also for work she had done outside of school in conjunction with the local chapter based in Riverside.

Aiming to have her club “put the fun in fundraising,” she inspired Bolles Red Cross Club members to seek donations through Mother’s Day Card, Spirit Day and Jeans Day fundraisers as well carnation flower sales and her personal favorite, the Piñata Party, where the club tied a piñata to a tree on campus and offered students the opportunity to swipe at it for a small donation.