Local children helping Haiti with Families for Families
Posted Jan 29, 2010 By Sarah Kelford
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Sarah Kelford, Kanata EMC
The children at The Greenwoods Academy have been busy over the last year raising money to supply shelters in Haiti. With the recent devastation from the earthquakes, the children have stepped up their fundraising efforts and are reaching out to the community for help. So far the children have raised $6,500 through the Families for Families non-profit campaign, which began January 2009 at The Greenwoods Academy.
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EMC News - Students at The Greenwoods Academy in Kanata have been raising money for the last year with their Families for Families non-profit campaign, which will provide shelters for Haiti.
Sarah Kelford, Kanata EMC
Abby McLelland, James Moffet, Yamini Mathew, Tomi Hazy, Aurik Reza and Jacob Muller are some of the spokespeople from the Children's Garden class who are helping spread the word about helping the people in Haiti.
With the recent earthquakes causing devastation to the country, the students have stepped up their fundraising efforts and are looking to the community for additional support.
"We want to help Haiti," stated Yamini Mathew.
"We need to send shelter over to Haiti," Jacob Muller said. "There was a big earthquake."
Muller explained that a shelter, like the ones they are raising money for, survived the earthquake.
These well-spoken and motivated global activists are four and five years old and are determined to raise enough money to send enough shelters to Haitians.
"All the people in Haiti can't fit in one shelter," explained Abby McLelland when asked why the students want to keep fundraising.
"We need to get more shelters," added Tomi Hazy.
The children, who have been acting as spokespeople for Families for Families, all agreed that they are having fun fundraising and have sold Hope Fairies, talked to their parents and participated in events like a Yogathon where they collected pledges.
So far the students at The Greenwoods Academy have raised $6,500 for this cause.
The Greenwoods Academy owner and director Sharleen McCorrister explained that the school had partnered with Partners in Health and HousAll Systems to raise money to provide Haiti with shelters that are manufactured by Canadian company HousAll Systems.
"There is a big component of peace education in The Greenwoods Academy (which is a Montessori school)," said McCorrister. "We have really pushed the Families for Families to provide a long-term solution for the people of Haiti."
The school created Families for Families in January 2009 and has been fundraising over the last year.
"This has all happened before the earthquakes," said McCorrister, adding that the children have become very engaged in the Haitian issues and want to help.
The shelters which the school is raising money for comfortably houses five adults and is equipped with a trough to collect rainwater and can also withstand heat with space for a stove.
McCorrister explained that the school had a shelter set up for the students to see last year.
"They are spacious, with pull-down beds, the door can convert into a table, all things can be used," she said of the innovative building that can serve as temporary shelters for up to 10 years.
McCorrister said that Families for Families and its partners hope to send a shipment of 70 units to Haiti at the beginning of February.
"We have a wonderful community of families who support this (Families for Families)," said McCorrister. "All funds donated, 100 per cent goes there. All the administration I do, I take on as a volunteer position."
McCorrister hopes more schools and community members will get involved and raise funds for this cause.
For more information about Families for Families or to donate through PayPal, visit www.greenwoodsacademy.com or call the academy at 613-591-3100 for more information.
