The Gr. 5/6 class at Twin Rivers Elementary did a trash to treasure fundraiser to raise funds for students in Honduras. The teacher Curt Kutschera, has raised money for this cause before but usually does it with a bake sale. Students brought in items they made from materials they had around their homes, or brought old games, stuffies, and toys that they no longer used. There were also some homemade baked goods for sale as well.
It was amazing to see students make their own choices about what they were going to sell, a personal connection to help the charity directly. Many items in the sale were destined for the landfill. Some students were amazed at how their boring old item were wanted by fellow students. A real lesson in “one persons trash is another persons treasure”!. One student felt good about sending money to another student in a far away country. He said “sometimes I don’t like school but I would feel sad if my friends were at school and I didn’t go because I couldn’t buy the school supplies” That was a huge awareness piece of how our education in Canada is sometimes taken for granted and how giving away personal items to help someone else is an act of kindness. The students felt good about this project.
The grade 5/6 class advertised this fundraiser prior to the sale by making posters and announcing the sale details over the PA. During one lunch break, the students set up tables in the foyer and opened the sale! The whole school community stopped by to support this fundraiser.
After the sale the students counted up their profits and raised $776.15 for the H.E.L.P. Honduras Society!! The funds raised will go directly to the Tegucigalapa Market Children Program which will give a student or two the opportunity to purchase school supplies, school uniform, backpack and text books. Children in Honduras have to pay for all school related items out of pocket in order to attend school. It takes an average of $300 per student to attend school. So this fundraiser has positively impacted two Honduran youth. And as a bonus, this project has taught the students the importance of reusing, and upcycling items instead of throwing them away. A win for the Honduras students and the environment!
