For more than three decades, Steve VanDam has played a key role in the lives of students at Sebring High School in Highlands County, Florida. Through his work as an art teacher and leader of both the Art Club and National Junior Honor Society, VanDam has helped raise over $300,000 for local families through the annual Soup for the Arts fundraiser.
The event began in 2000, with students raising just over $1,000 to support community members facing hardships. In recent years, Soup for the Arts has consistently generated about $25,000 annually. This year’s beneficiaries included the family of an elementary school child awaiting a liver transplant and a high school junior battling lung cancer.
Held on the third Thursday each February, Soup for the Arts brings together hundreds from across Highlands County. Attendees share soup, bread and desserts while purchasing bowls crafted by students. More than 1,700 servings were prepared for this year’s event.
VanDam said his own childhood experience inspired him to create this initiative: “find something I could do as a way to give back…this is in memory of her and helps keep her memory alive.” He emphasized that involving students was central to teaching them “the value of community.”
Kristy Harris, another art teacher at Sebring High School, has co-coordinated the event with VanDam for six years. She noted how rewarding it is to watch students grow: “they come in as freshmen and join art club and get sucked in and love it so much that they make it all the way to senior year. And we have several students who come back (after graduation) and become sponsors. Soup for the Arts becomes part of them, and they become part of us. They grow and we get to watch it, and it’s so awesome.”
Both teachers credit their students with making Soup for the Arts successful each year. More than eighty volunteered this year alone—handling tasks such as collecting donations from local restaurants, decorating venues based on chosen themes and selecting which families receive support from funds raised. Harris said: “We’re just the orchestrators here; the kids are the ones who are out there doing the thing and making the event look awesome. We wouldn’t have an event if it weren’t for them.”
Asked what advice he would offer other educators considering similar projects, VanDam stated: “Having programs like this is a lot of work, but seeing what kids get out of it—you can’t even speak words to say. We’re here to help them be a better person and to see what the world is like in a positive way.”
Stories like those from Sebring High School highlight how educators across Florida contribute not only academically but also help develop strong values among their students.
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