Braden Majic
Carihi Mirror
Carihi’s Junior Leadership team recently raised money and promoted BC Children’s Hospital Foundation’s Jeans day by organizing a coin drive.
The goal of the coin drive was to raise $850 for the facility, but when the coin buckets that were distributed to all C Block classrooms over a three week period in April were collected in and counted, that amount was more than doubled. In the end, $1,950 was raised by the students.
“We are really proud,” organizing student Sophia Jane Nguyen said. “We overreached our goal, which is really amazing.”
Ms. Halpin’s class took first place, followed by Mr. Moore and Ms. Perras in second and third respectively.
Carihi has traditionally done well during fundraisers like coin drives, especially when staff members fully get behind it.
Along with a little “inspired competition” teacher-librarian Tracy Finkensiep made it her mission to raise more money than any classroom.
By simply catching students on their way in, typing up an essay, reading a book, or trying to sneak out quietly, she jingled the bucket in front of them awaiting their generous donation.
The library contributed to nearly $600 of the grand total.
“I feel like I am really proud with how Carihi contributed, they blew our goal out of the water,” said organizer Jordan Shaw. “We got almost $2,000 from the school community as a whole. I just think it is going to be put towards a good cause.”
The Junior Leadership group are made up of mostly Grade 9 students who are new to the school and are still learning what contributes to Carihi’s reputation.
This coin drive is a good example to students and staff new and old on how a community can come together and contribute selflessly to others in need, Nguyen says.
“When we were in middle school we obviously heard about a lot of good things (about Carihi),” Nguyen said. “To actually experience it… it is true what they say: it is a great school.”
At the end of the coin drive on May 2, Carihi students and staff put on jeans along with countless others across the province.
A cheque has been written and the money has been donated on behalf of Carihi Secondary.
Jeans Day is a yearly event put on by the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation were people are able to buy a button and are asked to put on their jeans in support of children and their families.
Anyone else who might be interested in donating to the foundation can find details about how to do so by going online to bcchf.ca/donate