On Sept. 30, students flocked to the quad during lunch to see the diverse selection of clubs available. While many of these clubs have been around for a long time, some just started this year. New clubs range from Mission of Hope to Juggling Club, each with a different purpose to help every student find a club that they are interested in.

Many of the new clubs this year deal with the theme of helping the community such as ACE (Aiding Children’s Education), Creosote Foundation and Saving the Children. “We are fortunate in that we live in a place that values community service and volunteering,” Student Activities Director Lisa Hall wrote in an e-mail. “These types of clubs can help students learn more about how they can give back to their community as well as how they can have an effect on issues in the world.”

Each club uses different methods. “The Mission of Hope Club shares the same goals as other clubs, but we focus on helping impoverished children in Southeast Asia who need education, shelter and basic survival,” sophomore Mission of Hope club president Megan Zhang said.

However, clubs that hope to fundraise for their organizations will have to re-think their purpose and goals this year. Clubs are no longer allowed to fundraise for non-profit organizations because Gunn is a nonprofit organization itself. Any funds raised by a nonprofit are not allowed to be sent to other nonprofit organizations. However, clubs are finding ways to continue.

“Clubs can send checks to organizations physically to help them,” sophomore Club Commissioner Madison Sabbag said. “They just can’t deal with the money directly. But sending clothes or food is legal, so there are a lot of ways to work around this if clubs strategize well.”

There are also clubs that do not fundraise for a cause, such as National History Day Club, which was created for the purpose of getting students to compete in the National History Day competition on a topic of their choice. “It’s a competition that’s educational yet fun,” junior President of National History Day Club Mor Albalak wrote in an e-mail. “People who enjoy or want to learn more about history and have fun making projects should join this club.”

Other new clubs created to educate students include Computing Club, Photo/Photoshop Club and Future Physicians of America.

This year clubs were divided into two separate sections. One section was in the quad and the other section was in the Fish Bowl. Some said that the placement of the clubs helped students find clubs easily. “People could go up and talk to the clubs instead of just look at them,” Sabbag said. “It was definitely more spacious and organized this year.”