Fund-raiser after fund-raiser is being held by just about every imaginable group and organization to aid those suffering the aftermath of the tsunami that devastated 12 Asian countries three weeks ago.
The students at Langley High School have taken their fund-raising efforts on a slightly different road, setting a goal of raising $30,000 in just over two weeks.
Normally, schools in Fairfax County cannot hold monetary fund-raisers for any reason, but “because so many parents and students bombarded the School Board, they decided to make an exception,” said senior Leah Glantz, project manager for the fund-raiser.
Principal Bill Clendaniel helped Glantz get the project organized and started, but it has been a student-run initiative.
“There are a lot of different people involved in different parts,” said senior Sammy Kingsley.
“The leadership club had an emergency meeting last Thursday to all the clubs together,” Glantz said. If all the school’s clubs banded together to make donations and to pool their resources, the students figured a larger amount of money could be raised.
“Individual classes were not allowed to donate money,” Kingsley said, “but clubs can donate. The National Honor Society donated $800 today, the Muslim Student Association is selling clothes and doing henna tattoos for $2 each to raise money.”
AT LAST TUESDAY’S basketball game against rival McLean High School, fans were able to pledge anywhere from 10 cents to $10 per point on one player or the entire team.
“The PTSA (Parent Teacher Student Association) went around at the game with pledge sheets, and the pledges are still coming in,” Kingsley said.
In addition, students are taking buckets to the four lunch periods during the day, collecting spare change donations.
“People are giving change or a spare dollar,” she said. “We’ve got $50 in change that way. A lot of the faculty has been donating. Parents, students, cafeteria workers are donating too.”
There was a simple reason for picking the $30,00 goal, Glantz said.
“We have a little over 2,000 students here plus 180 faculty and staff members, so we were thinking that if all the students gave $15, we could raise $30,000,” she said. “Last Friday, the seniors made fliers for me and put them on cars and handed them out during the last period of the day. You couldn’t go 5 feet down the hall without seeing a poster,” she said.
Postcards, designed by senior Gideon Baldridge, have been printed professionally but due to an error, need to be reprinted before they will be mailed out to homes in the Langley District this week, Glantz said.
The money raised will be donated to International Relief and Development Inc., which Glantz researched with the help of Clendaniel. “They were the most helpful, and we will put in our donation letter that we want part of the money to go for the reconstruction effort, which will take months,” she said.
As of Thursday afternoon, the students had raised $9,396.50, but pledges and other donations were still rolling in.
“SO MANY PEOPLE pledged money,” Kingsley said. “The parents are being so generous. We got two checks for $500 from parents already.”
There’s also the possibility that the Langley students’ generosity may be turned into some friendly competition for other schools.
“What Mr. Clendaniel wanted for us was to make a goal and raise money, then take this to other schools to encourage other students to do the same,” Glantz said.
Students like Glantz have volunteered time between classes and after school to count the money and keep track of the contributions, and they’re quick to remind people that even spare change adds up to dollars quickly.
“It’s $1.80 for lunch, that’s 20 cents extra a day,” Glantz said.
“If (the change) is sitting on the table (at lunch), who’s going to argue over 20 cents?” Kingsley said. “Change adds up so quickly. One dollar is so little, but if everyone gave $1, it would add up to $20,000.”
“And if everyone in Fairfax County gave $1, we’d have $2 million,” Glantz said.
She also was quick to point out the help the students have received from the school’s staff.
“Mrs. Norma Jansheed and Mrs. Janet Dues have both been great,” she said of two of the school’s office workers. “They help us count the money and let us use their office. They watch the money and made labels for the buckets.”
“I’ve seen quite a bit of the effort unfolding here, and I’m so impressed with what they’ve done in a short amount of time,” Mrs. Dues said, tears of pride hiding in the corners of her eyes.
“It’s very heart-warming to see teachers donating as well. I’m impressed. … They’re all working together,” she said. “The students started with nothing planned and have come up with so many ideas. I think they can reach their goal.”
“Our kids are doing a terrific job,” said Mrs. Jansheed. “It’s a huge project and a huge goal, and I think they’ll reach it. They’re absolutely determined.”
If anyone in the community is interested in helping the students at Langley achieve their goal, contributions can be mailed to Langley High School, 6500 Georgetown Pike, McLean, VA 22101.