Local students raise more than $4,000 for American Red Cross
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The following is a news release from the American Red Cross.
IDAHO FALLS – Fourth and fifth graders at Alturas International Academy in Idaho Falls will present the Red Cross of Greater Idaho with a $4,171 check to support Hurricane Dorian relief efforts.
The check will be presented on Monday, Nov. 11.
The students organized a school carnival that raised money to help those impacted by the devastating hurricane. The students planned the carnival themselves and chose Red Cross as the recipient. About 129 students took part.
“I loved running my booth,” one Alturas fourth-grader said. “It was fun to see how much money we made for Red Cross.”
In September, Hurricane Dorian struck the Bahamas, pounding the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama Island. On Great Abaco Island alone, an estimated 90 percent of the structures were destroyed. When Dorian finally moved on from the Bahamas, it threatened millions of U.S. residents along the east coast.
“We focus on six-week inquiry-based learning units, and this unit’s central idea was how economic systems impact humankind,” Alturas teacher Jessica Ziel said. “This was a phenomenal event. It made economics come to life.”
The American Red Cross continues to work alongside its international partners to bring relief to hurricane survivors in the Bahamas, while also providing aid to families affected in the U.S. This has included the distribution of emergency shelter toolkits and hygiene items to families on both Abaco and Grand Bahama islands.
“We are incredibly grateful to students and staff at Alturas Academy for supporting these relief efforts,” said Rusty Devereaux, the Red Cross disaster program manager in eastern Idaho. “Their generosity will help bring help and hope to those who need it most.”
The Idaho Red Cross will have its emergency response vehicle on hand Monday so Alturas students can learn more about how the Red Cross responds to disasters in Idaho and across the country.
Help people affected by disasters like hurricanes, wildfires and countless other crises by making a gift to American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit the website to learn more or call 1-(800) RED-CROSS.
Alturas International Academy is a public K-8 charter school and east Idaho’s first and only International Baccalaureate World School. Alturas works to empower students to be principled, intellectual and collaborative leaders who can and will make a genuine impact on their local and global community.