Runnymede Students Take Action for Sierra Leone
Students at Amy Beverland Elementary display their bricks. As part of the Brick by Brick campaign, these bricks and others will build a school in Kenya.
The students at Runnymede Jr. and Sr. Public School in Toronto are rocking the world! After hearing a Free The Children speaker, a group of grade 5 and grade 6 students got to work, promoting the Adopt a Village: Alternative Income campaign.
The first fundraiser for the junior students was to challenge each of their classmates to bring in a loonie. Their hope was that they could then raise $600. To their astonishment, they raised that much in just a few short days!
Not to be outdone, the senior students organized a huge Vow of Silence campaign, representing the voiceless children of Sierra Leone. Hugely successful, they raised over $8,000 for the Adopt a Village: Alternative Income campaign in Sierra Leone.
In just a few short months (less than 3!), what started with only grade 5 and 6 students turned into a school-wide initiative, and the students of Runnymede have raised $16,000 already with no sign of slowing down.
University of Waterloo: From Canada to Kenya
Waterloo Free The Children members in their stylish t-shirts, which supported their
school building project in
Kenya.
Two years ago, students at the University of Waterloo decided that they wanted to take on a large scale fundraising project. After much research and contemplation, they decided to support Free The Children by raising money for the construction of an elementary school in Kenya.
Through various fundraisers, the group raised funds and raised awareness about the situation faced by children in Kenya. One cool fundraiser that stands out was called "Jail and Bail.” Members of the local community, professors and students were “arrested” and given "bail" that they had to make. A fake jail was constructed and campus police arrested all of the people and brought them there. It was a successful event, raising over $10,000! Tracy Pickard, leader of the Waterloo Youth in Action Group, remembers: “The best lesson that we learned was that no event was too big or too small—each one contributed to this outstanding cause!”
The Waterloo group then traveled to Kenya to build the elementary school that they had raised the funds to build. Tracy reflected on the experience: “All the countless hours of fundraising are worth it when you see one child smile or hear the beautiful songs of the Kenyan people. The Kenyan people welcomed the the group into their hearts, and we will forever remember our entire Kenya experience: from selling chocolate bars one at a time to digging trenches and laying the foundation for a school that will benefit countless children.”
St. Gregory Catholic School
The students of St. Gregory pose proudly in front of their
Brick by Brick poster. Their slogan, which can be seen on the wall, reads: “Help our school build theirs.”
Amazing things are happening at St. Gregory! Early in the school year, a Free The Children speaker challenged the students with a message of social responsibility which the students have eagerly accepted. With the support of teachers like Claire Suehay, students have come together to raise over $6,700 for development projects in Sri Lanka.
Actions included bake sales, pizza lunches, staff dress down days and a march towards change. The whole school participated, with efforts coming from students in Grades 1 through 8. Through fun, creativity and a feeling of generosity, St. Gregory Catholic School is truly showing the world that kids care… in a BIG way!
St. Brendan Catholic School
St. Brendan students in front of their filled
Brick by Brick poster, representing a school that they will build in a developing country.
Talk about getting active! The students at St. Brendan Catholic School have definitely brought new meaning to this phrase. On May 19th students put their best foot forward in a walk-a-thon, collecting $17,000 for Free The Children’s development projects. After walking many kilometres throughout their community, students came back for a celebratory assembly.
Students who collected the most pledges got to throw whipped cream pies at teachers, and the principal even shaved his head! Carlton the Bear (the Toronto Maple Leafs mascot) even made an appearance. Great job guys!
News From Around Canada!
British Columbia
TREK 2006: Crossing the finish line for education
Last month, Hilary and I attended TREK (Teens Running for Every Kid) at the Southridge School in Surrey, British Columbia. It was an incredible event with hundreds of students from Southridge and neighbouring schools running five kilometers to support the Adopt a Village: Alternative Income campaign. Through this one event, the school was able to raise more than $8000 for Alternative Income projects in Kenya.
Along with TREK, all the end-of-the-year Free The Children events across British Columbia that are taking place have been absolutely astonishing. Thank you to all of the amazing youth and educators for all of your incredible efforts!
Living,
Loving,
~Emily and Hilary
emily@freethechildren.com
hilary@freethechildren.com
Québec
Québec youth are on a roll
Hey world-changers!
Summer is finally here, but the warmer weather doesn’t compare to the
hot actions of Free The Children youth across Québec. From Comedy nights to garage sales, youth have been taking action!
But that’s not all! The amazing “Une Voix a Suivre” (or “Childlike in a Sense”) benefit concert was held in May to raise money to build a Free The Children school. The concert opened with an African music and dance number, and ended on an inspirational note with the benefit’s own theme song: “Je Suis Libre” (“I am Free”). Highlights included an African music and dance performance, the theme song of the benefit concert: “Je Suis Libre” (“I am free”), “The Sparrow” by Notre-Dame Elementary School, songs from a high school’s musical Moulin and even Cuban dance!
Have a great summer, and keep in touch!
~ Jaclyn
jaclyn@freethechildren.com
