In order to give back to the community, students will join together to raise money for three causes at the Opening Ceremony for Helping Others Through Giving (HOG) Week, which begins today during fourth period.

“Our HOG Head, Hannah Patterson, has really been preparing for HOG Week since she got the position,” sophomore DeJardin Moffett said. “Student Council is excited and looking forward to this event. (We are) hoping everything goes smoothly and that we will be able to raise more money than our goal of $18,000.”

For the first time, the school will be fundraising for three causes: Tarrant County 5-Stones Task Force which focuses on sex trafficking, Cook Children’s (CC) “Sit… Stay… Play” Therapy Dog Program and for research and awareness to Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome in honor of Renley Tunell, the younger sister of student Kyle Tunell.

“What excites me the most is that I get to see the heart of Timberview,” Student Council Sponsor Heather Colburn said. “They like to give back and the make the community happy. They rally together when someone is in need. You don’t see that every day, especially in high school.”

Colburn said that one of the main focuses is to bring awareness to sex trafficking.

“The overall goal is to bring attention to the dangers of it,” she said. “It’s occurring a lot in our area since were in a big city and it’s something people should be more aware of.”

The “Sit… Stay… Play” Program provides comfort to children through animal contact.

“These are therapy dogs that roam the CC hospital and help the patients as they go through these difficult times in their lives,” senior Hannah Patterson said. “The stories we heard of how these dogs changed the lives of these kids brought tears to all our eyes.”

The third cause will benefit Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. Renley’s mother Stephanie wanted the money to go toward awareness.

“I wanted to do something for their (Tunell) family,” Colburn said. “A student’s mom called and asked if we could support the Tunell’s during HOG Week. I asked Hannah and a couple others and they said, ‘let’s do it.’”

Senior Treyvian Bolton said the Food Nights are just as important for raising funds as the other events.

“We get money just by eating food,” he said. “We have picked really good restaurants and are lucky enough to be receiving 50% of profits from one of them.”

The theme is Mardi Gras.

“We chose this theme because a lot of students will understand the culture and it’s fun and interactive,” Moffett said. “It gets everyone excited and up on their feet, ready to celebrate.”

Last year the school raised $19,203 during HOG Week.

“I think we will receive around $20,000,” Bolton said. “I have a good feeling the students will get involved and help us make a lot of money to give back.”