Changing hands

Students set out to make a difference in the world

Students at a local middle school continue to do good things in the name of their community and abroad.

The Redcliff World Changers hosted two fundraisers, backto-back, this month: a food drive for the Colchester Food Bank and “Hats, Hearts and Hands for Haiti.”

For a week, students at the middle school brought in nonperishable items for the food bank, and raised more than 2,000 pounds, double their total from last year. It was delivered a week ago. “They were so surprised when we took all the food in,” said Mackenzie Boyd, a Grade 7 student.

“Every day, the World Changers would take all the donations to the Family Studies class and weigh it,” added Hannah Hominick, also in Grade 7.

“It was really hard to load it into the cars. Even younger children were helping us,” said Mackenzie.

Each month, the World Changers come up with a cause to assist and a way to help that cause.

The Haiti fundraiser – which consisted of white handprints on red hearts and a hat toss – came about after the flooding from Hurricane Matthew.

“Even a few years ago, flooding destroyed a lot of Haiti,” said Hannah. “Everything seemed to be getting back to normal when Hurricane Matthew came through. And it’s more of a poor country in general.”

The group has about 45 student members and they host a Me to We Day celebration each May.

They get fundraising ideas through Free the Children, an international organization encouraging youth to help change one local and global social injustice issue.

People like Malala Yousafzai, the young girl who was shot by Taliban for standing up for education, can be role models.

“There are some inspiring youths, such as Malala and I look up to them,” said Mackenzie, “things they do help change the world and I thought by joining World Changers, I could do changes like that.

“It feels great to help people.”

COVER PHOTO BY RAISSA TETANISH

Lily Babineau shows off her white-painted hand before leaving a handprint on a red heart. Lily made a donation to the “Hats, Hearts and Hands for Haiti” fundraiser at Redcliff Middle School to make the heart.

RaIssa TeTaNIsh/TC MedIa Mackenzie Boyd, foreground, and Hannah Hominick are just two members of the World Changers at Redcliff Middle School. The group has been hosting fundraisers almost monthly for local and international causes.

RaIssa TeTaNIsh/TC MedIa Nicole MacKenzie tosses a hat during the Redcliff Middle School’s “Hats, Hearts and Hands for Haiti” fundraiser on Thursday. For $1, students had five chances to through a baseball cap onto a pegged board.