Passionate Framingham Youth Help the United Way Support Japanese Relief Efforts
On June 14th students from the Brophy Elementary School in Framingham presented Jen Maseda, Vice President of Community Resources at the United Way of Tri-County, with a check for $1,325 they raised to support the relief efforts in Japan.
It all began when Ben Heggs, a second grade student at Brophy, heard about the tragedy that claimed so many lives in northern Japan and was determined to help. Ben and fellow students Maya Kawakami, Liana Chan along with his classmates in Mrs. Carr's second grade class, brought together the entire school to raise money for the affected Japan community. “Often times children feel empathy for those in need better than adults,” observed Brophy School Principal, Frank Rothwell. “What makes this so special, is on their own, these students turned that empathy into action and involved the entire school community and allowed everyone to contribute to a worthy cause.”
The students organized a “Coins for a Cause” change drive which took place during a lunch period. To promote the collection they wrote letters home to parents, created posters for the school and even took turns speaking in each classroom. Charlotte Carr, the Brophy second grade teacher assisting the students, described their heart-warming efforts: “There were times during the event that my eyes watered, seeing children who could probably least afford it, proudly bringing their baggies full of coins to put in our container.” When all was said and done, those small baggies of coins added up to $1,325. Since March, thousands of volunteers and NPOs have worked tirelessly to support the victims who are trying to recover from this terrible tragedy.
The students’ donation, through the United Way’s Japan Relief Fund, will help the extensive relief efforts which include the building of new houses for the more than 100,000 people who remain without proper shelter. Thanks to the United Way’s relationship with the Community Chest of Japan, 100% of the funds will go to the recovery efforts. With the help of corporate partners and the community, the United Way of Tri-County has sent over $12,000 to the Japanese Relief Fund. Follow the link to learn more or help contribute to the fund: http://www.uwotc.org/helpjapan
