Students and faculty raise $3,000 for Harvey and Irma storm victims during two-day student fundraiser
By Norma Richman
Children always clamor for sweet frozen treats, but those goodies taste even sweeter when they help teach youngsters to care for those less fortunate. On Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 12 and 13, High Point Academy’s entire student body came together for two days of lunchtime fundraising as children purchased dollar-a-piece popsicles to raise money for Harvey and Irma hurricane relief. The cool fundraiser kicked off the new school year with a lesson in compassion for others, as K through 8th graders queued up to drop their contributions into two overflowing buckets of cash.
HPA’s first Community Engagement Program project of the year also provided children with an opportunity to learn about matching funds and the power of even the smallest donation. Hundreds of popsicles were sold, and an impressive $1,500 was raised in just two days, which High Point will match. The $3,000 donation will go to One America Appeal, a fund set up by the five living past presidents. The organization guarantees that one hundred percent of all monies donated will go to victims of the season’s first two mammoth hurricanes.
First grader Evelyn Lamb, age 6, was proud to participate. “The popsicles were good because they made money for the people that were in the hurricane.”
Eliana Gonzalez, grade 4, went a step further, stating, “The money went to the people in the hurricane to help, because some only had the clothes they were wearing and they had no homes. I think popsicles were a great idea because it’s better than just donating; you get something in return.”
Evan Chen, age 9, explained, “The money was for people to help them get food and water.”
“It’s a good idea that they used popsicles,” added Francesca Gomez-Novy, 9. “They were selling something kids would like, so more donations came in.”
Nathan Demarchi, age 6, noted that the fundraiser “gave the people in the hurricane more money to rebuild their houses.” He happily admitted that “It felt nice to help.”
Nice – and sweet, for all involved.
Photo Captions:
1 – Maddie Feng enjoys a cool treat. (6th grade) – Courtesy photo
2 – Students line up to donate. – Courtesy photo
3 – James Bonaccorso’s big grin! (2nd grade)- Courtesy photo
4 – Gary Stern, Head of School, unwraps delicious pops. – Courtesy photo
5 – Kindergarten and First Grade celebrate the $3,000 donation amount with Gary Stern Head of School. – Courtesy photo
