Fifth Graders Facilitate Funds for Typhoon Disaster Relief

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Dec. 26, 2013 - PRLog -- In an admirable attempt to lend assistance to the current devastation from recent Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, the fifth grade classes of Ms. Kone and Mrs. Ramirez at Hendricks Day School have truly adopted Hendricks Day School’s core values of love and community.

The current destruction in the Philippines left the communities in crumbles.  Haiyan had winds that approached up to 200mph, and the damage is severe.  Sitting in their colorful and fully stocked classroom, these fifth graders watched video footage of the wreckage by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.  Jayson, 11, explained, “Something terrible has happened and these people need their homes back.  I feel terrible about all of the deaths and injuries. We would like to raise money to help.”

Close to two million Filipino residents are now homeless, and the students at Hendricks Day School felt it necessary to make this disaster-relief fund come close to home.  Jacksonville may be over 9,000 miles away from Tacloban, but Hendricks students such as Julia and Jordan understand how lucky they are to be in school, while their foreign counterparts are not able to attend school in the wake of the destruction.  According to reports, over 100 schools were inhabitable and others are now shelters, making it difficult to get these children back into a classroom routine. These remarkable students chose to plan a bake sale at Hendricks Day School, in which all proceeds will benefit those affected by the Typhoon devastation.

Before the idea of the bake sale was chosen, other ideas suggested by students Flynn, Dylan, and Taylor were to host those displaced in their own homes, a chili cook-off, a dress-down day, and even a 5^th grade class field trip to the Philippines.  The Head of School, Linda Johnson, only received a short list of ideas for approval.  Sam refers to this event as “One Day of Sweets”, where a large selection of gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, nut-free, and other allergen related baked goods are available for purchase.  All of the treats for sale must be made and packaged by the students with only parental supervision permitted.

This event does not simply raise funds for those in need, it also challenges these fifth graders to delegate tasks, measure results, and hone in on decision-making skills.  Connor noted that the process of elimination was helpful in looking at different solutions to the problems at hand.  Ms. Kone and Mrs. Ramirez encouraged the children to make an outreach effort to find out how their actions actually helped others by contacting ChildFund.org.  Summer suggested sending a letter to a school asking if the funds assisted them, so that the Hendricks students are able to see where the money was allocated.

Both Emma and Eve said that they were touched by the fact that they were able to work together to help people put their lives back together.  This group of fifth graders embody the Holiday spirit to help those who are in need, and what makes this effort extraordinary is the distance.  At least sixteen countries are currently lending assistance to the Philippines, but the charitable nature of this group of 11-year-olds is something to admire.