Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 14, 1990 TAG: 9006140085
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ELLIE SCHAFFZIN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
This year, the student council collected almost $340 for AIDS patients and the homeless.
"I think that all people should have a home," Whitt said, adding that while most students understood the plight of the homeless, some of the younger ones probably did not know exactly what AIDS is.
That didn't stop them from giving.
"One little kindergarten girl gave every day for about two months," said guidance counselor Katherine Chew.
Chew said the student council placed a "giving well" in the cafeteria where students gave leftover lunch money and spare change.
"They understood that it was giving to a good cause . . . that it was more than dropping your money in and making a wish," Whitt said of the younger students.
Whitt explained that the toughest task was counting the change.
"We counted 80-some dollars in nickels," she said.
While learning about giving, students also viewed the "We are the World" video and held a used-book sale for charity. Their work culminated in an assembly during which they sang "We are the World" and presented the Roanoke AIDS Project with a check for $169.
Ellen Whitt of the AIDS project (no relation to Darrah) said she was surprised to receive a contribution from such a young group.
"That's what touched me about it . . . that this group thought of people with AIDS," she said.
Chew agreed.
"We have so many adults who aren't willing to help persons with AIDS that it was encouraging to see kids show compassion," she said.
The contribution will go to the AIDS project's Hands Fund, which provides direct financial assistance for individuals in the area. The contribution to the homeless has not yet been made.
by CNB