|
| |
Posted Oct. 12
 District 41 students, staff and PTA have a tradition of making service learning an important part of the school experience. The response to Hurricane Katrina demonstrated that tradition with numerous fundraising activities springing up in the schools. Some examples include:
In conjunction with the Character Counts program, Abraham Lincoln School students worked with the PTA to organize the “Pennies for Relief” fundraiser, decorating shoeboxes to use as collection boxes in each classroom. “We raised more than $4,000.00 for the Red Cross,” said PTA member Amy Levin, “and many families gave in other ways as well.” The effort was not just about raising money, “The fourth and fifth graders talked to the younger students about the character issues of responsibility and caring for mankind as well,” says Levin.
At the annual Ice Cream Social, Churchill school and the PTA collected school supplies to be sent to local schools that have taken in students displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
The Hadley “Read for Relief” fundraiser raised more than $16,000 for Katrina victims. Participating students raise pledges by reading 121,154 pages, a process based on a similar pledge drive conducted last year on behalf of tsunami survivors. In addition, Hadley students in teacher Madelyn Cox’s homeroom sold brightly colored Mardi Gras beads to fellow students to raise funds.
Benjamin Franklin Student Council members also sold Mardi Gras beads to raise money for Habitat for Humanity, an agency that offers direct assistance to displaced New Orleans residents.
Forest Glen collected school supplies to be shipped to the affected area; the rest brought down to Houston on Sunday through a local church, says PTA President Allison Park. “The effort was a huge success—we filled our school vestibule three times over with supplies,” said Park.
|
|
