Tisbury students donate $4,147 from jump rope fundraiser to Red Cross Haiti relief efforts

Students raised over $8,000 in total--split between two charities

A group of K through 8 grade students of Tisbury School raised $4,147 to support the Red Cross Haiti Relief Efforts through a Jump rope for Hope event, held for all K through 8th grades

Just after the earthquake hit January 12th, two fourth grade teachers  Pamela Herman and Veronika VanDe Geer and their students saw the many children who now had lost everything. They initiated a Jump Rope for Hope event, where children from all grades took a sponsor sheet for a week and generated sponsors to support them jumping during each gym class on Friday January.

Pam said:"We did a similar fundraiser after the Tsunami hit in 2005, where we raised $7,100. This time we raised $8,179 which we split between the American Red Cross and PeaceQuilts for Haiti. The two fourth grade classes pretty much ran the event and it was great! One little girl jumped 200 times and raised $200 just by herself.

The $4,147 check to was presented to Red Cross Board members Richard Williams of Chilmark and Ann Hunt of Vineyard Haven just before school vacation. The funds do not stay with the local chapter, but are forwarded to the Red Cross International Relief Efforts to support the Haiti Earthquake victims.

All disaster relief services are free to those who need it but the American Red Cross receives no government funding for its disaster relief activities. If you are interested in organizing small fundraisers to support local, national or international disaster relief,  please call the American Red Cross Cape Cod and Islands Chapter at (508) 775-1540, write to 286 South Street, Hyannis, MA 02601, email info@cciredcross.org or go online to the website, www.cciredcross.org.

Courtesy of the Cape Cod & Islands Chapter of the Red Cross.