In the weeks following the devastation in Haiti, Fontana students have shown an outpouring of compassion and generosity as schools throughout the district held special fundraising events to assist the victims of the earthquake.  With eighty percent of the people of Haiti surviving on less than $2 a day, every penny raised has the potential to really make a difference.

Students at Almeria Middle School participated in a special one week fundraiser, ‘Hats for Haiti,’ in which students paid $1 for the privilege of wearing a hat for the entire school day.  The school's Dress for Success program makes hat-wearing verboten.   They quickly reached their $1,000 goal and by week’s end they raised $2,530 which they donated to the American Red Cross.  Almeria Counselor Debbie Simpson said “The response has been incredible; kids helping kids.”

Locust Elementary School also held a ‘Hats for Haiti’ fundraiser at their school for two weeks.  If a student wanted to wear a hat all day in the classroom and out on the playground, they brought a dollar for the Haiti earthquake relief fund.  Principal Sandra Gray said that the “kids loved it and raised approximately $500” which they donated to the American Red Cross.

The student congress at Cypress Elementary School organized a penny drive to raise funds for Haiti.  Every day for two weeks, every student brought in one penny.  As a result, they collected 37,388 pennies ($373.88) which they donated to the American Red Cross.  Said teacher Elmo Kelley, our students “have shown what a true Peacebuilder school is all about.”

As part of its Character Counts program, the students at Juniper Elementary School cracked open their piggy banks and collected $1500 - mostly in change - to help the citizens of Haiti.  “Our focus pillar last month was citizenship,” said Principal Adele Thomas.  “Part of being a good citizen is doing our share to help other people.”  On February 3, a representative from the American Red Cross came to the school to collect the money in a special school-wide assembly.

Ruble Middle School contributed 100 pairs of shoes to the shoe drive sponsored by Sports Chalet and shoe charity Soles4Souls.  In turn, Soles4Souls partnered with Operation Compassion, a charity that mobilizes support for victims of natural disasters around the world, to transport and distribute aid.  Thirty containers of supplies, including work boots, rain boots, children’s athletic shoes and clothing items are already en route to Haiti.  The shoe donations are still coming into the school said Counselor Robert Nava, “I’m still accepting them.”

In response to comments made by President Obama in the days following the disaster, the students in Mrs. Johangiry’s third grade class at Dorothy Grant Elementary School were moved to write an appeal to their fellow students asking them to each donate $1.  They raised a total of $537 which they sent to the American Red Cross.

Summit High School’s Spanish Club sponsored a fundraiser for Haiti from January 19-29. They arranged collection sites throughout the school and raised $1,793.97 for the American Red Cross.

(Photo of Almeria "Hats for Haiti" courtesy of Fontana Herald News.)

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