Works4Me Classroom Idea

Heartfelt Help for Haiti

March 23, 2010
From Debra Boyer, a teacher at LE Berger Elementary School in West-Fargo, North Dakota

Our students created a school project called Heats for Haiti and raised $1,193.55, which they donated to the Red Cross. Our school staff prepared a die in the shape of a heart and used it to cut transparency film and pump out scores of hearts for kids to decorate. Students used permanent markers to create a design, including the words Hearts for Haiti. Once the art work was completed, a hole was punched, a string was added, and voilà! We had sun catchers to sell for a suggested $1 donation.

Families aided the effort by bringing the hearts to work, and the children canvassed their neighborhoods. Our school paraprofessionals made a pictograph on a hallway bulletin board showing one heart for every $10 raised. The students were able to follow the growing amount until the second to the last day. The final amount was revealed by the Red Cross representative who came to accept the check. The students cheered and clapped enthusiastically when they heard the total. The student body was bonded as one that day. The heart theme continued when the mom responsible for creating our yearbook decided to take a picture of some of the hearts to use as the yearbook cover. Our success was truly heartfelt!