Who: Cabin John 7th Grade
What: Charity Project – Hospital Sacre Coeur
When: Starting March 14
Where: At School plus a California Tortilla night
Why: A CJMS Parent, Dr. Rob Freishtat, has a relationship with a hospital that is providing career for those with no other medical access. We hope to teach our students that they can make a difference in the lives of others. Please see attached flyer:
Each year, the 7th grade social studies department supports a charity project in one of the regions of the world that we study. We do this to help teach students about what they can do to help solve global problems like hunger and poverty. Five years ago, we raised over $5,000 with the help of the PTSA to help a school in Kenya acquire facilities with sanitary water collection, hand washing stations, and toilets.
The following year, we learned that Dr. Freishtat, a pediatrician at Children’s National Medical Center and CJMS parent, had been traveling to Haiti and volunteering time since the earthquake of 2010. It is this personal relationship that we became excited about for our yearly charity project. Dr. Freishtat came to talk to the 7th grade students in social studies classes and will be able to keep us up to date on the effects of our contributions. In the last four years we have raised over $20,000.
This year, the CJMS students voted to support diabetes care for pediatric patients. Dr. Freishtat reported that after children are discharged from the hospital they are unable to afford the insulin and supplies that are vital for survival. The money raised will surely make a difference in the lives of many young people.
What can students do?
- Participate in Penny Wars. Each social studies teacher will have a bucket set up for spare change that will go to the charity. In the past this has been a popular fund raising activity for 7th graders. Penny Wars begin Monday, March 14th and lasts a week.
- Eat! We are planning a fundraising dinner at California Tortilla in Cabin John Mall on Tuesday, April 5th. This has been very popular with our students and has helped us support our cause.
- Wear. We have contracted with an artisan in Haiti to provide beaded string bracelets for sale to the students. These have been very popular in years past and not only support the local economy but also raise funds for the hospital. The bracelets will go on sale April 4th.
- Watch for other ideas we come up with during the year.
Visit the CRUDEM site for more information: http://www.crudem.org/.
We hope this year’s fund raiser will be valuable both to the children at the hospital and the students of CJMS.