Categorized | Education

Parker School student council raises funds for charities

Parker School students hand over a check to Tim Ashcraft of the Friends of the Children's Justice Center. They raised money for the organization at the third annual LoveFest, a week long event "of love, reaching out to our own community and the larger world." (Photo courtesy of Parker School)

MEDIA RELEASE

Parker School’s student council raised nearly $1,200 this year for three different charities. Of that total, $850 was generated from the third annual Parker LoveFest.

LoveFest is the brainchild of Nathalie Whitfield, graduate of the class of 2011 and former Student Council Vice President.

“She came up with the idea of celebrating Valentine’s Day for an entire week, as a week of love, reaching out to our own community and the larger world,” said Parker English teacher and Student Council Advisor Gillian Culff.

“We have raised money each year for different charities through spirited food sales at lunch (such as pink cupcakes, etc.), LoveFest tee-shirt sales and a benefit concert. This year, our two (LoveFest) charities were Friends of the Children’s Justice Center and Japan tsunami relief,” Culff said.

Tim Ashcraft, president of the Friends of the Children’s Justice Center, visited the Parker School Campus to accept the $425 check for his organization, which helps children in West Hawaii who have been traumatized by witnessing a violent crime. The organization provides therapeutic rehabilitation to help those kids heal from emotional trauma.

The remaining $425 LoveFest funds will go to School Building Fund, Rikuzentakata City, Japan, to aid in the rebuilding of schools damaged/destroyed in the tsunami of March, 2011, in memory of Monty Dickson. Dickson, an uncle of former Parker students Merrin and Pearl Dickson, was teaching English there when he died in the tsunami.

The student council organized additional smaller events – such as Penny Wars, where each class raced to fill up jars with loose change, and Pie in the Face, where students got to throw pies at faculty members at lunchtime – through the school year.

These efforts raised another $300 targeted for Smile Train, an organization that provides free cleft palate surgery to poor children in developing countries.

The cost of one surgery is $250, so Parker’s donation will fund one child’s surgery and half the cost of another’s.

— Find out more:
www.parkerschool.net

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