Students write letters, raise money for kids in India
Despite an education funding crisis in their own backyard, students at a local elementary school are determined to help their counterparts across the globe whose schools are in danger of closing.
Students in secondgrade classes at Westwood Elementary School, 1701 Exchange Ave., have written letters of encouragement to students at two Children Development Centers in India. The centers, which offer academic classes and wellness programs, are operated by a Christian nonprofit called Helping Hands in Motion.
Westwood secondgrade teacher Abby Hernandez said in addition to creating the letter-writing project, she is inviting students, teachers, parents and members of the public to participate in a Helping Hands in Motion Walk-A-Thon on Saturday at Mid-America Christian University. She said money raised at the event will go to help keep the doors of the Indian schools open.
Hernandez, 29, said the centers operate on about $1,000 a month but funding granted to the organization that has been operating them unexpectedly was cut recently and Helping Hands in Motion stepped in to fill the gap.
Hernandez, 29, said it may seem ironic for the students to raise awareness about the plight of students in India when school districts across Oklahoma are dealing with cuts in education funding.
However, she said her students have learned through the project to be grateful for the American education system, which ensures free public education. Hernandez said the students now know that many students in places like India don’t have the same opportunities that they do.
Hernandez also said Westwood Elementary enjoys support from the community. The students in India, whose schools are facing shutdown, don’t have that supportive network.
“I think it’s hard for them (Westwood students) to understand that some kids don’t get to go to school and some don’t get to eat tonight,” she said.
“They are learning that we have a lot to be grateful for and we can always give something.”
Hernandez said she has volunteered at the schools during mission trips sponsored by Helping Hands in Motion. She said although most of the Indian students’ families are Hindu, they don’t hesitate to send their children to the Christian nonprofit’s schools for youths ages 4 through 15 because they realize that education will change the children’s lives for the better.
Hernandez said human trafficking is a problem in the area where the Indian schools are located. She said 7 out of 10 children at the schools know someone who has been affected by human trafficking and the concern is that students with no way to improve their lives through education are at risk.
“There’s a waiting list for these schools. The parents who are sending their kids to the centers, they don’t care what religion it is — they see what a difference these centers can make,” Hernandez said, adding that the Helping Hands in Motion centers don’t “push” Christianity on students.
“They just want to love on these kids,” she said.
Letters spread hope
Hernandez said the 25 second-graders in her class are participating in the project along with two other second-grade classes at Westwood.
On a recent weekday, students in her class said they enjoyed writing letters to other students even though they have never met them.
“Dear Friend, in Oklahoma, it is pretty but sometimes it can get windy. I will pray for you and your family,” wrote Jamileth, 8.
Another student, Oliver, 7, wrote: “Dear Friend, we do lots of math because we have a challenge called the Math Facts. I hope you do good in school.”
Hernandez said the students are not required to give funds for the Indian schools project but many have brought coins to donate anyway.
Meanwhile, she said Saturday’s walk-a-thon will include refreshments and prizes. A 2011 MidAmerica graduate, Hernandez said she has been raising money all year for the Indian schools. The teacher said she is hoping each walk-a-thon participant will donate at least $20.