Eagle Heights to continue 'Be the Change'
Apr. 16—Clinton High School senior and Miss Iowa's Teen titleholder Juliana Clark will graduate in May, but the "Be the Change" coin drive initiative that she started as a sophomore will be continued by Eagle Heights Elementary School.
Over the course of three years, the initiative has raised more than $10,000 brought in from throughout Clinton Community School District and donated to Information, Referral and Assistance Services and fighting local food insecurity.
"I think it's a good legacy to leave," Eagle Heights Kindergarten teacher and Juliana's mother Kim Clark said.
In 2022, the statistic of one in 10 Iowans experiencing food insecurity motivated Juliana to make a social impact as part of her role at the time as Miss Eastern Iowa's Outstanding Teen.
"I just really wanted to see what we as a district could do," Juliana said, which turned out to be a collected donation of more than $6,000.
In June 2023, Juliana spoke about the initiative on-stage at the Adler Theater in downtown Davenport as she went through the phases of competition against 10 others vying for the title of Miss Iowa's Teen.
Juliana ultimately took home the crown, along with her choice of seven different colleges that she could attend with the cost of tuition covered.
This fall, she will begin pursuing a degree in kinesiology at the University of Alabama.
While preparing to do so, Juliana took a step back from the coin drive held only at Eagle Heights Elementary this year rather than throughout the entire District.
"I've been a little more hands-off," Juliana said, "and they've really put the drive together, showing that even after I graduate in just five weeks now that they will be able to continue this and continue supporting our community through their donations."
This year's drive ended on Friday and raised a donation of $1,745.54 which will be presented to IRAS during the School Board's April 22 meeting.
Juliana said that when she was first starting the initiative, the cost of one pound of food from the River Bend Food Bank cost 17 cents. Now, that cost is 49 cents.
"And the need in Clinton has increased so much," she said. "So with the need increasing, the cost to fulfill those needs is also increasing."
The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services reported in January that 4,280 individuals in Clinton County, out of a population of nearly 46,500 people, experience food insecurity.
"Even though you may be ages five through 11," Juliana said, "you're still able to make a difference in your community and be educated about what's going on."
Information, Referral and Assistance Services supplies food for area pantries through its Pantries United program. The organization is located at 219 First Ave.
