School response to Haiti disaster inspires students, promotes action

When a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck the country of Haiti last month, almost every news agency sent its reporters to cover the story. For days, anyone who turned on the television would see images of the Haitian dead and injured.

The school responded to the situation efficiently and effectively: Efforts to provide aid to Haiti began shortly after the earthquake struck and focused on helping students fully understand the situation there. This resulted both in impressive student contributions and in life-long lessons about the value of meaningful donations.

Student contributions went to the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund (HERF), an organization in which staff members Seth Donnelly and Ryan Ikeda have both been involved. Because the effort involved working with a familiar organization, students could be confident that their money would go directly to relief rather than to administrative overhead.

As a way of encouraging students to contribute, the school also showed students a video of the conditions in Haiti during Tutorial on Tuesday, January 26. The video, created by Ikeda, added a human element to student donations, as did videos that followed. The way the Haiti relief effort was organized represented a shift from previous school drives. The drive lacked the typical element of class competition, and so students connected directly with the cause rather than with a desire for a pizza party. As a result, students donated on an impressive and inspiring level.

Uniquely, the efforts to raise money for Haiti were not efforts of the ASB or One Dollar for Life organizations alone, as some other fundraising efforts have been. The response to the Haitian crisis was an initiative of the entire student body, allowing students to feel a true sense of responsibility and involvement with the effort.

By organizing the drive in this way, the school clearly demonstrated to students the importance of getting involved with these efforts. Judging by their response, students seem to have truly absorbed this message. Several clubs— including Free the Children, Jew Crew and Students for Justice—came up with clever ways of fundraising for Haiti. Whether it be by collecting donations, selling food or hosting a benefit concert, students have employed diverse means to achieve the same goal.

The school’s fundraising efforts focused directly on empowering students, and the enthusiastic student response surpassed that of many previous drives. The school should continue to emphasize giving in such a meaningful way.