Rubber Bracelets to Help Rebuild Orphanage
It’s been a year since a tsunami devastated southeast Asia on Boxing Day 2004, but students at Philip Pocock Catholic Secondary School haven’t forgotten.
Since that tragic event unfolded, the Mississauga teens have been working to rebuild an Sri Lankan orphanage that was destroyed. A facility that originally housed 75 children now tries to provide care for 250 orphans who sleep in tents. It will cost $35,000 just to erect a skeleton building.
Under the acronym STORM (Save Tsunami Orphans Rebuild Mission), members of the school’s Student Wellness Committee plan to continue raising funds over the next five years. They are being guided in their efforts by Carol Pogson, a child youth worker for the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board.
Last year, they held a charity volleyball game that raised $1,000. This year, they hope to sell 2,500 blue rubber bracelets at $2 apiece in raising an additional $5,000 for their cause.
“You don’t really realize how bad things are in other parts of the world,” said Natasha Bider, one of the student fundraisers. “There are a lot of bad things happening, but you can help out.”
In the atrium at Pocock, there is a large slogan painted on the wall beside two photographs of the orphanage. One photograph depicts the original building while the other shows nothing but the pile of debris that was left in the wake of the tsunami.
“Let this be a school with spirit,” the slogan reads.
Anyone interested in buying a bracelet can call 905-602-6172, ext. 31615.
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