PROVIDENCE — Through a fundraiser as simple as a dress down day, student members of La Salle Academy’s Social Concerns group raised nearly $8,000 for local non-profit organizations, including $1,000 for Emmanuel House, the diocese’s emergency homeless shelter in Providence, as well as $1,000 for Bishop Thomas Tobin’s “Keep the Heat On” campaign.
While many students donated $5, others made larger contributions. Not only did they raise funds, they also raised awareness, as students researched poverty statistics and facts before printing them on flyers, which they posted throughout the school.
Tenth-grader Nathan Ledoux, 16, said some of the facts surprised him, but also motivated him to help.
“A lot of senior citizens — about 200 percent — are living below the poverty level of $18,500,” he said. “It’s really amazing to know that there are so many people that are older and have tried to save, but can’t provide for themselves or their families when they have to.”
His classmate, Matt Curran, 15, was also astonished by many of the statistics. He enjoys lending a hand to good causes.
“This is probably one of my favorite clubs at La Salle because it makes me feel like I’m doing something good,” he said. “It makes me smile.”
Their efforts, said Jim Jahnz, the Emergency Services Coordinator for the Office of Catholic Charities and Social Ministry, are much appreciated.
He recently visited the school and informed students that when Emmanuel House opened in 2010, it housed about 25 to 35 people a night. A few nights before Thanksgiving, he said, there were more than 50 people seeking shelter.
“They have nowhere else to go,” Jahnz said, also noting that several La Salle graduates helped open the shelter, cleaning up the former diocesan day care center that was transformed into Emmanuel House.
The school, located in Providence, also made donations to Mary House, DENA Christian Brothers Fund for victims of Yolanda, Amos House, McAuley House, and the Pawtucket Soup Kitchen.
“I’m glad we’re fortunate to be able to do it because I know that it helps people,” said junior Madison Robar, 16.
