Students lend a hand Beyond Borders

BY SARA KEDDY

Kings County Register

A group of Central Kings students are urging their classmates to look at their own advantages, and think about sharing them around the world.

Beyond Borders is a new group at the high school, launched to send international aid from the valley to almost anywhere in the world.

Grade 12 student Vanessa Cormier spearheaded the new group’s formation, holding a meeting last year to gauge interest amongst her peers. “I saw Oprah Winfrey’s ambassadors program and it was really inspiring,” Cormier says.

At the first C.K. meeting, 30-plus students talked about everything from world hunger to international education. “We started out in September with ‘Help for Haiti’ week, and we raised $700, just on school-based recess events.”

The money went to Red Cross hurricane relief programs.

Since then, they collected hundreds more for mosquito netting for African countries, and are now targeting a bigger goal: $4,500 to equip one classroom for 35 children in Mali through a World Vision program. “Their education rate is very low, and if we raise money to refurbish a classroom, it shows everyone here how lucky we are to have the opportunity to go to school like we do,” Cormier says. “We take our education for granted, so we should try and help others.”

Students were “hoping for the best” at their first major fundraiser, a school variety show Nov. 24. Cormier and her committee organized black belt demonstrations, fiddlers, guitarists and singers from amongst their peers and families to come and entertain. “Everyone’s really excited, and we’re doing well.”

Coldbrook Lions also appeared with a $100 contribution. “It’s so good to see you do this, and your parents should be proud of what you’re doing,” Lion Roseanne Kaizer told the students.