Rachel’s Closet offers students an opportunity to bring home clothes, shoes and other items they may not have access to otherwise. Rachel’s Closet has a variety of sizes and styles for students to choose from. 

Rachel’s Closet is run by the Friends of Rachel club. The club is based on the ideas of a girl named Rachel Joy Scott. Scott was the first victim killed in the Columbine school shooting on April 20, 1999 in Littleton, CO. Thirteen other students were killed in this shooting. Scott wanted the world to be kind and compassionate toward each other. Members of the Friends of Rachel club carry on her legacy by operating the Friends of Rachel club across the world. The club does kind acts throughout the school year to carry on what Scott wanted: compassion for others. 

Julie Yahner is the adviser of the Friends of Rachel club and a guidance counselor. Yahner has been a guidance counselor for 29 years. She previously worked at the junior high. Yahner has been the Friends of Rachel adviser for about 10 years. 

“Part of the whole counseling theory is we want to try to help as many kids as possible. It just sort of fell into my lap, and it’s turned out to be a blessing for me,” Yahner said.

With Yahner and the members of this club, the community can help with Rachel’s closet. Donations come in from people all around the city. Anyone wishing to donate clothes to the organization can call Yahner at (814)-946-8372 to talk about the details of bringing clothes in and getting them into the closet. 

“A lot of different things are donated and a lot of it is donated by faculty. We also have committed community members that will call and ask to make donations too,” Yahner said.

The closet is open to all students in the school. Yahner wants students to utilize the closet and take advantage of the clothes, shoes and school supplies in it.

“One of the things I want kids to understand is that it’s a closet for everybody. It is not just certain kids, it’s for anybody. Kids nowadays love the whole thrifting concept with recycling, reusing and not throwing things away if they’re still good. It’s also all free. It’s just a good thing,” Yahner said. 

This year the club has over 100 members. Some of these members are new and include freshmen and sophomores. Junior Rylee Hershey has been with the club for three years. 

“Bela [Hershey’s friend] brought me into it when she asked if I wanted to help her with the closet,” Hershey said. 

Friends of Rachel club’s main message is to be kind to everyone. Hershey has had new opportunities because of her involvement in this club. 

“I’ve met more people that I probably wouldn’t have really become friends with otherwise,” Hershey said. 

Junior Isabella Knorr is another member in the club who has been involved for three years. Knorr helped Hershey and Yahner set up the closet when it first opened. 

“There were big bags of clothes and we sorted them. We put things into a donation pile that we wouldn’t wear, or we thought kids our age wouldn’t,” Hershey said. 

Knorr and Hershey both joined the club their freshman year. They have stuck with it because they like the environment and being kind and compassionate towards people. Knorr joined the club because of her connection with Yahner.

“I knew Mrs. Yahner and I started going up with her to Rachel’s closet to help clean it all up and organize,” Knorr said.