Students at Nackawic Middle School are working to make their community and the world a better place through acts of charity.
On Dec. 6, leadership students and those in the Meals on
Wheels club, led by Principal Kathy Anderson, decided to bake homemade cookies
and distribute a selection to local seniors for Christmas. Students
gathered various kinds of cookies and bagged them together to pass out out to seniors in the community.
"A
great time of carolling and sharing cookies brightened the day of many a senior
in Nackawic and it was a great time for our Grade 7-8 middle school students, Anderson said.
Earlier this fall, the students were also challenged to raise funds as part of the WE
charity. A Grade 8 leadership team decided they would like to support a clean water system for a school. So, they began
selling treats and holding a couple of sock hops at noon. Funding began
to grow and they began to research what part of the world they would like
to invest the proceeds.
"Being a WE charity school in the past, the students wanted
to help those who did not have access to clean water and decided on the WE
Villages, a proven model of holistic and sustainable development.," Anderson explained.
It is
estimated that 1,000 children die every day around the globe due to illness caused by drinking
contaminated water, she said.
Supporting a
clean water system for an entire school was a lofty goal for the students, totalling $5,000. Once their fundraising was held, the We Charity took whatever was
donated and matched it 10 times over.
"The students were so excited to see
their gift grow from $500 to $5,000," Anderson stated. "The gift will bring clean water to an
entire school and ensure girls in Kenya can collect safe water for their families on their
way home from class."
The clean water system will also help irrigate vegetable gardens to supplement student lunches as well.
Anderson said the fundraising experience was a
unique opportunity for the entire middle school student population to get
involved and impact a sustainable change for students in a school in a faraway country.
The WE Charity is an international charity that partners with communities through a holistic, sustainable development model that equips families with the tools and skills they need to lift themselves out of poverty.
Shown in the photos below are (1) Nackawic Middle School students delivering cookies and carolling for local seniors for Christmas; (2) the Grade 8 leadersip team with Principal Kathy Anderson following their successful efforts to raise funds for a clean water system for a school in Kenya.
