For more than three decades, Steve VanDam has been a fixture at Sebring High School in Highlands County, Florida. As an art teacher, he has helped guide students not only in academics but also in community service through the annual “Soup for the Arts” fundraising event. Since its inception in 2000, this initiative—organized by Sebring’s Art Club and National Junior Honor Society—has raised over $300,000 to assist local families facing hardship.
The first year of “Soup for the Arts” saw students raise just over $1,000. In recent years, the event consistently brings in about $25,000 annually. The most recent fundraiser supported families such as that of an elementary school child needing a liver transplant and a high school junior battling lung cancer.
Held on the third Thursday of February each year, the event draws hundreds from the community to share soup and purchase bowls crafted by students. This year’s gathering served more than 1,700 portions of soup.
VanDam explained his motivation for starting the fundraiser: “find something I could do as a way to give back…this is in memory of her and helps keep her memory alive.” He added that it was important for him to ensure students were central to organizing the event so they could “learn the value of community.”
Kristy Harris, another art teacher at Sebring High School, has worked alongside VanDam on this project for six years. She said one rewarding aspect is watching students develop over time: “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 student volunteers handled tasks ranging from securing donations from local restaurants to choosing themes and selecting beneficiary families. Harris noted: “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.”
When asked what advice he would offer other educators interested in similar projects, VanDam said: “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.”
The story highlights how educators across Florida continue to make significant impacts beyond classroom instruction by fostering responsibility and compassion among their students.
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