Harrison Students Raise Funds and School Spirit

Interact Club members Valerie Alagon, a senior, and Kimmi Berke, a junior, stood off to the side in the school cafeteria Monday morning, behind a table filled with hope.

The club has designated April 25-29 as the school's annual Charity Week; Alagon and Berke were selling origami cranes, bookmarks and ceramic bracelets during an early lunch. They said the money raised will benefit the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the Japanese Red Cross, which will use it to help victims of the earthquake and tsunami that struck that nation in March.

"At first, we were going to do the Clean Water Fund," Alagon said. "We changed focus because of the disaster that happened. It was something current, everyone really wanted to help."

Alagon and Berke said they got involved with Interact because they enjoy community service.

"It's not only getting my (required community service) hours in, but it's being part of the community and the school," said Alagon, who said the club helped her make friends when she transferred from two years ago.

Berke said the desire to get involved and help others is something that really comes from inside. She and Alagon agreed that their involvement in the club helps build leadership and communication skills.

Academic Dean Angela Leach said the Interact Club started Charity Week four years ago. While the club's members had been raising funds on their own, they wanted to broaden the scope of their efforts.

"They decided instead of just 75 kids raising money, why not involve 1,200?" Leach said.

Last year, students raised $2,500 for ACS and The Friendship Circle, a West Bloomfield nonprofit organization that provides support and programs for children and young adults with special needs.

"We're hoping to get more than that this year," Berke said. "Maybe $5,000."

Students have created events for every day this week in order to reach that goal. Highlights include a Senior Auction during all lunches in the cafeteria and a Dunk 4 Charity Dunk Tank event Friday, after school on the patio.

Leach said the dunk tank will be a little different than typical dunk tanks. In order to conserve water, the students are rigging up a system so that a large water balloon falls on the unfortunate dunkee, she explained.

Other activities this week include:

• Change for Charity competition among classes.
• A shoe collection for Soles4Souls.org.
• The Think Pink Club will sell pink ribbons, pink T-shirts and pink smoothies each day at lunch.
• National Honor Society members will seek participants and raise money for the Relay for Life. 
• Hat Day on Tuesday. Students may pay $1 to wear a hat in school, which is normally not allowed.
• Doughnut sales Wednesday before school and at all lunches.
• Live Senior Auction on Thursday, during which seniors are auctioned off to carry books and go out to lunch Friday with the winning bidder at Wendy’s or Subway locations near the school.
• Student/faculty basketball game at 7 p.m. Thursday in the gym. Admission costs $4, or $3 with a donation of gently used shoes.
• Pink Day on Friday in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness.
• A blood drive Friday, during which students age 16 or older may donate with a parent’s permission.

It's a significant undertaking, one Leach said does more than raise funds for worthy causes.

"It's sort of like a mini Spirit Week in the spring," she said. "It brings the kids together, and we're building the culture and spirit in the school."

A complete list of Harrison Charity Week events is available on the school's website.