Burch Caught Red-Handed With Over $4,000 to Help Haitian Children

Michayla Best (left center) of Operation Mobilization accepts the check for $4,069 from Marie Wallace (right center) as principal Sharon Walters (right) and assistant principal Toby Black look on.

A goal of raising $500 for the children of Haiti surmounted into over $4,000 in just one week.

The students of Robert J. Burch Elementary opened their hearts and gave their loose change, ice cream money and allowances to help children orphaned by the earthquake in Haiti. The students alone raised over $3,000; teachers and other individuals donated the rest.

For each $1 they gave, the students received a red hand with their name on it showing that they were “Caught Red Handed for Haiti.” More than 3,000 hands were hung on the walls throughout the school.

“We were truly amazed at the generosity of the students. They were giving up ice cream money, looking for loose change at home under cushions, and emptying their piggybanks. We are so proud of what they accomplished,” says Marie Wallace, a first grade teacher who helped organize the school-wide event.

The “Caught Red Handed for Haiti” project stemmed from a first grade faculty presentation. Each grade level at Burch takes a turn presenting a workshop to other teachers during faculty meetings. The first grade teachers had decided to present a clinic on loving the teaching profession and the children at the school in honor of Valentine’s Day.

“Then the earthquake hit and we decided to turn our clinic into a school-wide event that would teach students about compassion and community service. The students really embraced it. Not only have they helped the Haitian children, but they also gained an understanding of the importance of assisting those in need,” says Wallace.

The school donated the money to Operation Mobilization in Tyrone during an assembly on February 5. The international organization has been assisting the Haitians since the earthquake. The money will be used specifically to help Haitian children.

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