Students at a Campbell River middle school put their fundraising skills to the test, raising $6,600 for a charity in South Sudan, Africa.
Tara Gordon’s grade 6/7 class at Phoenix Middle School recently wrapped up their fundraiser for the ‘Water for South Sudan’ charity.
Inspiration for the fundraiser came after the class read the book, “A Long Walk to Water.” It tells the true story about ‘Sudanese Lost Boy’ Salva Dut and teaches about water conditions in South Sudan.
School District 72 says students set an ‘ambitious goal’ back in February to raise $8,000 for the charity, with the hope of possibly raising $15,000 – enough to gift a South Sudan village that currently has no water with a well.
To help collect the funds, they sold chocolate bars, launched a donation website, and reached out to local businesses.
Although they didn’t meet their goal, the class is still receiving praise from SD72 staff. Considering the ongoing pandemic, they say students weren’t able to fundraise the same way they would have in the past.
Plus, it was a great learning experience for students too, knowing they were making a difference and were a part of something special.
“It made me sad to know that a lot of people don’t have access to water,” student Kesa Johnston added. “When I think cleaning my room is a chore, I think of kids that have to walk half a day or more just to collect water, that is often unsafe or dirty, for their family to use.”
