Faith Christian extends chain of giving

Spirit Week: daily costumes, class themes and hallways decorated accordingly, skits and chants, the Homecoming game, princesses in their prettiest dresses. All this and more make for a fun and crazy week for Faith Christian High School.

However, there is also another aspect to Spirit Week, one represented by the yards and yards of blue and gold paper chain called "Spirit Chains" made by the students, hung on the walls and stretching all the way around the gym at the Homecoming game. Each link of the chain stands for a dollar the students raised that week to give to an organization that helps people in need.

Usually the money goes to a local program, such as A Hand Up Ministries for the homeless or Twin Rivers Crisis Center, a Teen Challenge women's halfway house.

This year, however, when the earthquake struck Haiti just before Spirit Week, the whole student council agreed that it wanted our funds to support a Haiti relief organization, one that would not only enter Haiti for a short time but one that would be near last to leave.

"It was a matter of understanding the devastation and need and wanting to do something about it," said student council adviser Rick Daugherty.

You may ask: How can one small high school of 120 students raise enough in just a week to make a difference after such a monumental disaster? The task was hard enough, but classes rose to the challenge.

With a one-week time frame, classes had to work quickly and creatively. The juniors, for example, agreed to bake something and work in shifts to sell their goodies, from brownies to strawberries dipped in chocolate, at one of the basketball games. A few of the juniors also decorated a bucket and passed it around the bleachers asking for donations. In that night alone, the class raised more than $500.

Junior Justine Ekdawy said, "We didn't know how well it was going to work, but people started putting in 10s and 20s. It was a nice surprise."

Together, the students raised more than $2,400 for the Haiti earthquake relief fund.

Parent Sherry Ekdawy said, "People are looking for a way to give to Haiti but don't really know how, so when we presented the opportunity, they were happy to give."

The Spirit Chain fundraising project is definitely a crucial part of our Spirit Week traditions.

"I like Spirit Chains because I think in the midst of a fun week, it gives it balance by adding an outward focus," said Daugherty. "It also gives the classes a way to unify, even while they're competing against each other, in reaching out to the community."

Katherine McLain is a senior at Faith Christian High School. Her column appears about every sixth week in Education.