Healdsburg Elementary, Healdsburg Charter and Fitch Mountain all taking part in coin drive, fundraiser
Like everyone who has seen the stunning footage of the damage in Texas from Hurricane Harvey, Healdsburg area students and their entire community of parents and teachers, have been moved to provide assistance. Following on the heels of a successful student coin drive to help the Valley Fire victims in 2015, three campuses had joined together to help two beleaguered schools in Harvey’s path.
The idea to do something was brought forward by parents Nikki and Matt Villano, after one of their daughters, Ella, presented them with her piggy bank and said she wanted to help. Ella is in Stephanie Coventry’s Kindergarten class, so they emailed her.
“I had already been thinking about doing something but I said let me think about it and I know it’s going to be awesome and it’s going to be fun,” Coventry said. “Matt contacted a few of the smaller towns near Houston and talked to the principals and we have been talking with principals and teachers (of both schools). We made coin jars, the second graders made posters, we have second graders giving announcements.”
Coventry is also the liaison to Fitch Mountain Campus, and was the one who suggested opening the fundraiser to all three schools — Fitch Mountain, Healdsburg Elementary and Healdsburg Charter, so the fundraiser now encompasses students up to fifth grade. “I talked to Kathy Robinson and Erika McGuire about getting jars and posters in all the classrooms and getting the hype up. The student council members at Fitch Mountain are also giving announcements, to give that extra encouragement.”
The two schools being helped, Schmalz Elementary and Betty Sue Creech Elementary, are located in Katy, Texas, just northwest of Houston. “One of them, the school is completely flooded. It’s very upsetting to see all their hallways flooded and they’ve lost everything. The other one, the school didn’t flood, but all the families’ homes flooded,” Healdsburg Charter and Healdsburg Elementary principal Stephanie Feith said.
Diego Rosales and Cora Harkey, both seven and in the second grade have helped make announcements to their school encouraging their fellow students to give.
“I feel bad for the people in Texas, they lost their homes,” Rosales said.
“And their schools,” Harkey added. “We said, you can help by bringing coins.”
“We need to help Texas get their homes and their school back,” added Rosales.
Landon Moore, age five, a Kindergartner in Emily Petersen’s class, gave his entire piggy bank, almost $100, to the effort. “There was a big flood,” he said. “My Dad let me donate my piggy bank.”
“It’s really sweet because some children are bringing in Ziploc bags full of change and some students are bringing in pennies, but it makes them feel like they are contributing in some way,” Feith said. “It’s a real teachable moment for our students to realize that this is our community here and something really awful happened to another community and our community can help that community. And we would want the same thing to happen to us if we had had some sort of a tragedy, we would like other communities to step up and help us.
“I think it helps children to process because they are seeing the images and I’m sure they don’t know exactly what to do and this gives them something tangible to do. Like I can help, I can actually help, and if all of us help a little bit we’ll help a lot together,” Feith said.
“They are really wonderful, empathetic individuals,” Coventry said. “Even at 5 years old they understand that someone is hurt and they want to help out. When we talk about these schools that don’t have books anymore, they say ‘why can’t we give them our books?’ When we talk about ‘let’s collect coins’ and about the value of a penny, they really feel pride when they can bring in just a penny. They are so motivated because they realize we are helping other children and I think that motivates them even more.”
“Its never too early to teach children about philanthropy. It’s one thing to talk to students about giving back and helping and it’s another thing to actually do it, it’s a hands on lesson,” said Feith, adding that they are also starting to explore ways to expand the project to Florida in the aftermath of Irma.
Anyone wishing to contribute to the students’ efforts are encouraged to go to the GoFundMe page www.gofundme.com/hef4hou or to drop by any of the three campuses with coins or other funds.
