Lawrence students lend Asia a ‘helping hand’

Some collect change; others participate in fund-raisers.

By: Lea Kahn
   When Casey Gladwell and Jack Hargraves-Dix saw the news coverage of the devastation left by the tsunami in Southeast Asia last month, the two Eldridge Park School third-graders felt sympathy for the victims.
   When the two 8-year-old students returned to school after the winter break, they decided — along with their classmates in the Helping Hands Club — to raise money to help the victims buy food and water.
   That money — $400 — is going to be donated to the American Red Cross for relief efforts, said Helping Hands Club adviser Patricia Burns, a guidance counselor at the Eldridge Park School.
   The Eldridge Park effort is just one of many going on in the Lawrence Township Public Schools to help the survivors of the Dec. 26 tsunami, caused by an underwater earthquake in the Indian Ocean near Sumatra. An estimated 225,000 people in 11 countries perished, and survivors face shortages of food and clean drinking water.
   The Helping Hands Club members discussed the tsunami disaster and its aftermath, Ms. Burns said. They decided on a spare change collection drive. They made posters and arranged for fliers to be sent home with every student, she said.
   Two large metal trash cans were donated to the school by the Home Depot store at the Nassau Park shopping center, Ms. Burns said. Parent Brenda Gladwell, who is an artist, helped the students decorate the collection containers. One container was placed outside the main office and the second one was placed in the cafeteria.
   By the time the spare change collection drive ended Friday, each can was about one-third filled with loose change, Ms. Burns said. The noise that the cans made when the children dropped in their pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters just added to the excitement, she said.
   "We didn’t expect the amount of support from the families," Ms. Burns said. "One dad held a spare change collection drive at work."
   Ms. Burns said she was proud of the Helping Hands Club members, which in addition to Jack and Casey includes: David Eggert, Zoey Gonzalez, Hayley Gronenthal, Connor Hoffman, Walter Jones, Augustus Powell and Patrick Sullivan.
   But the Eldridge Park School is not alone in its efforts to help the tsunami victims.
   At the Ben Franklin Elementary School, students are doing chores at home to earn money to add to their classroom UNICEF Relief collection jugs. They are also taking part in a Reading Bookmark project for which Asian donations are collected to reward students for meeting their reading goals.
   The Ben Franklin Elementary School community also has organized bake sales for several evening events. The proceeds will be donated to the relief effort. The school also is working with Scholastic Books to organize a longer-term project.
   The Lawrenceville Elementary School began its spare change collection fund Tuesday, and expects to wrap it up by Jan. 28. The money will be donated to the American Red Cross relief efforts.
   The Slackwood School held a spare change collection, but the proceeds have not been tallied. Two classes are organizing separate fund-raisers next week — selling gently used toys and seeking a $1 donation from all students for the privilege of wearing pajamas to school.
   Ann Fowler’s second-grade class plans to hold its used-toys yard sale Jan. 25 and Jan. 26 outside the cafeteria. The toys will be priced at 25 cents to $5. Meanwhile, Lisa Sassaman’s third-graders have organized the wear-your-pajamas-to-school fund-raiser, set for Jan. 27.
   Students at the Lawrence Intermediate School are making and selling blue bows and bracelets to raise money for the American Red Cross’ tsunami relief efforts. A walkathon is planned for spring to raise additional money.
   At the Lawrence Middle School, a variety of creative fund-raisers are scheduled to take place in the next few weeks, according to school officials.
   And at Lawrence High School, student organizations are collecting canned goods and first-aid supplies to donate to the American Red Cross for tsunami victims.