“Pay It Forward”
4th and 5th bell students
Students in Mrs. Haas’s 7th
grade Advanced Language Arts classes at
All year they have talked about the change each person can make one person at a time; that was a re-occurring theme in our novels. Every one is responsible for the choice he or she makes and the resulting consequences. “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” (Gandhi)
During 4th quarter, students researched local, state, national, and world options. They analyzed the efforts of other people in the world and their responses. Each student had the opportunity to present a proposal with objectives stating a difference he or she wanted to make. And, through an anonymous donation, each student was given $10 “seed” money. The only restrictions were that students must use the money in a worthwhile way, and it must be used for or given to someone they did not know. They documented the changes they made in our world, reflected on their choices, and presented their work in May.
Some took the money, bought or made items, sold them for a
profit, and had more money for their project.
There was quite a variety. Some
of the money stayed locally and helped a young child in Bright, IN with a form
of leukemia – Erin Chuck and Kiley Rudisell sold bracelets and ribbons for her;
other students chose to donate time and money to the homeless in
Their acts of kindness were not limited to this area
however. Nick Kling cleaned out his basement,
sold items at a local flea market, and sent money to Hope for African Children Initiative. Tyler Stoeckel
collected money from friends and neighbors so that Silly String could be sent
to the troops in
Although they started with $400, at the end of the project, they had collected and donated $__________. While these students may forget prepositions or characters in a novel, they will never forget the difference they made in the life of someone else.
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single minute before starting to
improve the world.” (Anne Frank) These 12 and 13 year olds are improving the world today!
6th and 7th bell students
Local
Michaela – made cookies for the entire staff at HJS (70) “I learned to show people they are appreciated; it really makes them keep going and work harder.”
Erin – Bows for Gracie – sold homemade bows to raise money for Gracie, a 7 month old baby girl with a rare form of cancer “I learned a lot of good entrepreneur qualities. I hope that I made a difference in Gracie’s life and I feel that myself and all of the wonderful people who have donated or bought bows will make a positive difference in her life.”
Alex – Ronald McDonald House “I learned that you don’t have to do good things for only things in return.”
Ben – Sarah House hospice for children and young adults “I most likely would do this project again because of how the money is going to a very good cause. If I did it again I would try and raise more money and get more people involved.”
Megan – made a basket for an elderly neighbor, a box of surprises for the child of a single mom, and volunteered babysitting hours “I thought it was more about doing little things here and there and then them ‘paying it forward’ to the next person until we have a long chain of good people doing little but noteworthy acts.”
Eric – sold items and raised extra money to purchase Wendy’s gift cards and distributed them
to the homeless he saw
“I learned that not everyone is as fortunate as me to have a
house. I learned that the people of
Kyle – gave sandwiches to the homeless “They (the homeless) thrive from crap stuffed into the bags they carry that hold all they have in this world. My feelings for the hungry and homeless have changed. Used to think they were dirty hobos, but now I see they are individuals with their own unique ability and personality. I would definitely do this project again, but next time, there should be more food. These people eat like they’ve survived a famine (which they probably have survived a personal famine.”
Karly – Easter basket for woman recovering from chemo treatment and flowers in neighbors’ mailboxes - “I can either make someone’s day or else crush it. I’ve realized that for only a couple of dollars, I was able to brighten six people’s days. I didn’t just do the project – I experienced the rewards of being a kind and considerate person.”
Patrick – filled the back of a van with clothes to One Way Farm, Inc. “I really enjoy helping people and making them feel better. Maybe kids wouldn’t be like this if somebody listened to them and helped them.”
Karlie – Cookies Made With Care taken to Shawnee Spring
Health Care Center in
Kylie – baked cookies for the staff at Riverview Community Nursing Home – “It really surprised me at how happy and excited the staff was about the cookies I baked.”
Caity - collected money for SPCA – “This is very personal because I got 2 dogs from the crowded animal shelter.”
Mark – Dolls for Abused Kids Project
Maci – book and CD drive with money donated to the Ronald McDonald House
Robbie – sold root beer floats and donated money to Neediest Kids of All “I get to make a difference in some kid’s life.”
Chrissy – Southwest Relay for Life
Jacque – paid for part of a person’s grocery bill “I had to work to find someone to take the money; no one could believe that I was just going to give the money to them...then I met this smiley, short elderly woman that let me explain it to her and the first thing that came out of her mouth was ‘What’s the catch?’”
Cameron – volunteered with homeless project “It is a great accomplishment for me to know that just by making pretzels I have helped raise over $5000 for homeless people.”
Eric - sold tickets to guess the number of pieces of candy in a large container and send the proceeds to the Marcus Fiesel Foundation that’s building a playground for children with disabilities
Thomas – SPCA “It felt fantastic knowing I helped some animals live a few more days.”
Kiley – Bracelets for Gracie “The world would be great if people would just hep each other and not be greedy.”
Katy – donated toys to St. Joseph Orphanage “The kids were so happy to receive the toys. This project has helped me realize that one person can make a difference, even if it is a small one.”
World
Alex –collected over 50 pill bottles for Matthew 25
ministries to send to
Kendra – school supplies to
Brady – H.O.P.E. organization dedicated to helping African children in need. “I learned the value of helping others is not the reward of cash or praise but the reward of the feeling inside.”
Michelle – Pantene Beautiful Lengths for a person who has none of his or her own hair. “I learned that doing something good for another is quite easy to do. It may take a little time and effort, but it is worthwhile. I was excited but nervous throughout the entire project.”
Dana – Educational Shoe Box through Matthew 25 Ministries “I think there are many people out in the world that we don’t even recognize that are in need of many things in life.”
Nick – Hope for African Children Initiative - held a rummage sale at a local flea market to raise more money “I have always felt compassion for those less fortunate than myself, but doing this research has opened my eyes to their pain and despair. The ordinary things that we take for granted each day … these children almost never receive.”
Delmer – Army Reserves “I want this money to go towards advanced equipment to keep our troops safe so they can come home.”
Patrick – American Diabetes Association – raised extra money by “dog sitting” – “I especially liked this project because of the personal connection it has with my grandparents.”
Jonathan – Genocide Intervention Network “I personally don’t understand how the other 8 billion people in the world just sit back and let something like this happen…this is not a war, but a massacre of innocent people.”
Megan – Stephen Lewis Foundation for AIDS research and treatment in