Haitian Fundraiser

On Friday Jan. 29, 4th, 5th, and 8th grades put on a fundraiser to raise money for Haiti by making a meal and inviting kids and adults. I am here to tell you about it with some of the 8th graders who helped make the fundraiser happen! It all started in the 5th grade room at Cornerstone thinking of a name and the kind of event we were going to put on.

I sat down with a few of the middle schoolers to hear what they thought about the "Haitian Food for Haitian Lives" meal. One of the 8th graders said, "I think cooking for the Haitian meal was very important because it was the main part in the money making." Another 8th grader said, "Every one person helped in making a difference in the fundraiser."

Cornerstone has pulled together once again to help make a difference in the world where we could help!

Haitian Meal for Haitian Lives

Not long after the magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, students at Cornerstone Learning Community in Tallahassee, FL began brainstorming ways that they could be a part of the recovery process.

After deciding to raise money by preparing and serving a meal, three classes set out to pull it all together in just under two weeks. The 4th, 5th, and 8th grades (totally ~50 students) divided up tasks and dove in.

By the date of the event, January 29, the aptly titled fundraiser, "Haitian Food for Haitian Lives; Eat a meal, help them heal," had grown to become a celebration of Haitian culture with music, speakers, food and fun for all.

The 4th graders partnered with a food drive effort at FAMU and embarked on a campaign to fill a truck with items of necessity. Their successful efforts brought in food, water, and medical supplies. They also pulled off the daunting task of preparing hot plantains for the meal.

The 8th graders prepared a press release and prepared the main dish (traditional red beans and rice) for over 200 expected attendees.

The 5th graders took on the role of organizers, marketers, and event logisticians. They created materials to promote the event (including the below movie), constructed maps and graphs for attendees to learn about Haiti, and put together a bake sale to raise additional funds. They also prepared a Haitian salad to accompany the beans and rice.

The movie 5th graders put together to promote their event:

Haiti Earthquake Fundraiser Student Video from Jason Flom on Vimeo.

In the end, the students raised over $1,400 and gathered nearly half a ton of goods at their event. All proceeds were donated to Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders. Tanya Roscorla of Converge Magazine, covered the students' efforts in this article.

Looking ahead, another group of students in the 6th and 7th grades are organizing a Dance Marathon at a local ice cream shop, Brusters, who has agreed to donate a portion of proceeds from that night to the students' fundraising efforts.