Kids choose to ‘make a difference’

It was a cold, rainy day – perfect for staying inside and playing video games. But for a group of civic-minded youth from Fairway Elementary School election day ended up being something much more.

Fairway mom Becky Heiney explains.

“On the Sunday before the election I was at home watching the news (all of it about the devastation of superstorm Sandy) and wondering if there was something we could do. So, I posted on Facebook that I wished there was something we could do,” Heiney said.

That started the conversation and soon other Fairview moms were contributing ideas that ultimately led to a cash-for-chocolate fundraiser held across the street  from Fairway on election day.

“We thought it would be a good lesson for the kids,” Heiney said.

What they didn’t expect was that kids would want to stay out in the rain for as long as they did.

“They didn’t want to go home. They stood there in the rain holding posters they had made and shouting, ‘Make a difference. Help people.’ We thought we’d make a few hundred dollars.”

Instead the kids, about 25 in all, raised over $1,800 on election day and collected a grand total of $2,000 by the time they presented a check on Nov. 13 to Jill Myers, a Fairway mom who is also the interim chief development officer for the American Red Cross.

“This is a group of elementary students with very big hearts. The $2,000 they raised in just hours will do a lot of good for those who so desperately need help on the East Coast,” Myers said. “Since the Red Cross relies on the generosity of the American people to fulfill our mission, every donation, no matter the size, really does matter. The Red Cross is really about neighbor helping neighbor.”

“At a time when this country is so divided, this was just very uplifting,” Heiney said.

When schools are closed for things like election days, she suggested, “I’d love to see those days be used as days of service. It would be great if that could catch on.”