If you guys get ORA magazine you are probably already familiar with Operation LightSaber.....by the end of the fundraiser, my students final total was $845.29.....with a 100% matching donation from 4 Wheel Parts, we are sending 22 sets of Pro Comp lights to the soldiers in Iraq!!! There will be a write up about the fundraiser in ORA magazine......maybe the January issue.
Austin Students Support Soldiers
By By Mary Prickett mprickett @neighbornewspapers.com
Staff/Joe Livingston
In the spirit of the popular Army slogan “we do more before 6 a.m. than most people do all day” a group of students from Austin Middle School has united its efforts in the morning hours to show its appreciation to overseas soldiers.
The group, which Social Studies teacher Jonathan Thomas said is called the Team Time Social Studies Enrichment Group, uses a study hall assignment to break into groups. The group, he said, chose to study current events and after reflecting on the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the war in Iraq. Conversations led the group to lend its support to deployed soldiers.
“We talked about the war and some of the students have friends and family over there,” he said. “But when we were done with the discussion, they wanted to look for a way to help and that is when I told them about Operation Lightsaber.”
Operation Lightsaber, Thomas said, was founded by 4Wheel Parts, who collect money to purchase high-powered spot lights to be mounted on Humvees so soldiers could look for roadside bombs during night patrols.
The group includes 15 students who have been raising money since Oct. 31. A check was sent Nov. 7.
As of Nov. 5, Thomas said the group had raised $469.11, which, he added, will double.
“4Wheel Parts will match 100 percent of what we raise, so it will be $1,000 total,” he said.
The money, Thomas said, will buy 13 or 14 spotlights, which cost about $75.
One participant, Bethany Hight, said she feels helping soldiers purchase spotlights is a great way to offer support and assistance.
“I think this is a good way to help people in Iraq,” she said. “I learned how many have died over there and this is a way to keep them safe so they can come back home. I don’t have any family members over there, but I know some people who have gone and are about to go and this will help them.”
Another student, Savannah Smith, said her family has seen first hand how the war can affect soldiers and families.
“My brother was in Iraq for eight months and lost his two best friends,” she said. “I wanted to do this to help their families and other families because I know what they are going through and it’s really tough.”
The entire school, Thomas said, was extremely supportive of the group’s efforts.
“We have had 100 percent support from the school and outside of the school,” he said. “It has been amazing how quickly we were able to raise the money and we want to say thank you to everyone who has donated.”
Topic: Check out what my students accomplished! (Read 775 times)
