OACS News Service

Holland Marsh’s Grade 7 teacher Kevin Bouwers and caretaker Tim Ledlie shaved their heads when the community raised a total of $3,652.97 for Haiti.
Students reach out to help others through fundraising for Haiti
‘Its all for the Kingdom of God and all about blessing others’
Friday February 26, 2010 -- Jennifer Higgs
Staff, students and families at two Christian elementary schools hosted fundraisers recently to help organizations working in Haiti.

A grandparent at Immanuel Christian School in Oshawa came to principal Jasper Hoogendam with the idea to host a Helping Haiti Potluck.

Held Feb. 19, the information evening included a presentation on the non-profit Christian ministry God’s Littlest Angels, a Haitian orphanage located in the mountains above Pétion-Ville.

Approximately 50 people attended the evening, which included a bake sake.

The event raised $1,200 for the orphanage.

Through the school’s Leadership Activity Board students organized a privilege week where students could donate a dollar a day for different privileges, which raised $300.

Hoogendam wrote an editorial following the event explaining that compassion should be an automatic response for Christians and not reserved for catastrophic events.

“Compassion should be our natural posturing,” he says.

The school participates in helping others locally through Gate 3:16, a drop-in centre for the homeless in Oshawa.

At Holland Marsh District Christian School in Newmarket the student council and a staff member generated an idea for a Haiti fundraiser.

Called ‘Hair for Haiti,’ two teachers and the school’s caretaker challenged students and the community to raise $2,500 for their heads to be shaved.

Students got involved in chores around their homes to raise the money, such as shovelling snow.

In 15 days, students and the supporting community raised $3,652.97.

Students, staff members and families attended a Feb. 11 assembly which saw the three men have their heads shaved, which administrative assistant Tamara Veenstra says “was a lot of fun, the kids were howling in the aisles.”

The student council presented facts about Haiti during the assembly.

“The most touching part of it was at the end we closed in prayer and we said its all for the Kingdom of God and all about blessing others and we want you today to see beyond yourselves,” says principal Rod Berg.

The funds were donated to the Canadian Reformed World Relief Committee, which matched the contribution two to one for long-term development in Haiti.

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