From January 17, 2011 through January 20, 2011, Ramsey High School’s STAND held a fundraiser to help victims of genocide in Darfur and the mass atrocities in Burma. While the nation-wide STANDfast was held on December 3, 2010, our chapter had to push back events due to scheduling conflicts; however, it is never too late to take a STAND.
STANDFast took place on January 20, but we started receving pledges on January 17 during our school’s three lunch periods. The pledges were placed on our STAND tree resembling leaves.
Our chapter advisor, Karen Vander Leest, spoke of the importance of this event,“Being able to sacrifice something in order to think about other people who suffer in Burma and Darfur can help raise awareness and allow students to contribute in making a change.” RHS STAND had hoped that not only would people help STAND’s cause, but they would also be able to sympathize with what people around the world go through by giving up something for the day. The event not only raised money but increased awareness at our school. Students pledging often asked about the conflict and were briefly educated as to what was happening and other ways in which they could help. The students at RHS were not the only ones affected by this event; STAND had many teachers and other faculty members interested in learning more about the conflict.
In previous years the STANDfast had been a successful event and this year followed suit. We were able to raise over $100 to donate to STAND.
Written by: Emily McCabe and Neha Srivatsa