LEAD Club debuts with Christmas theme cookie decorating event

FSU Panama City’s newest student organization, the LEAD Club, hosted its first event, “Cookie & Connect,” in the Holley Academic Center lobby on Wednesday. Students were invited to sip on a nice cup of hot chocolate and decorate sugar cookies with several choices of frosting and sprinkles.

Started as a project for Dr. Brian Parker’s Introduction to Public Relations class in the Fall 2025 semester, the LEAD Club focuses on community service and donations for those in need. Alyssa Howell, a junior in Professional Communications, helped to put the LEAD Club together.

“Cookie & Connect served as a way for LEAD Club to get our name out there,” said Howell. “It was kind of like a kickstart event for the club.”

Currently, the club intends to collect donations for Backpack Blessings, a non-profit organization that helps feed school-aged children in need. The club is collecting canned and nonperishable food items in a box by the front entrance to the Holley Center through the end of the semester.

For more information on LEAD Club and upcoming events, follow the official club Instagram page at @leadfsupc.