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Freehold Twp. pupils “Hopping for Haiti’
Kim Predham
When 8-year-old Holly Heinsohn first heard of the disaster in Haiti, she couldn't help but compare her own life to those of the children in that devastated country.
Purchase this Photo Third-grader Matthew Kondrup, 8, participates in the "Hopping to Help Haiti" program Wednesday during his gym class (STAFF PHOTO: BRADLEY J. PENNER)
"I was really sad because I know I have all this great stuff. . . I'd be really upset if it all got destroyed," Heinsohn, a third grader at the West Freehold elementary school, said Wednesday.
To help the survivors of Haiti's Jan. 12 earthquake, Heinsohn and her West Freehold classmates are collecting pledges while "hopping for Haiti" in their gym classes.
The "hop-a-thon" fundraiser was the brainchild of Natalie Gagliardi, a second and third grade special education teacher at West Freehold."It's easy to call a telethon. . . but I think the kids are actually getting something out of this (the hop-a-thon)," Gagliardi said.
In their gym classes this week, the school's students are participating in various hopping and jumping exercises, from hopscotch to races on bright red bouncy balls.
In return, the school's Parent Teacher Organization asked family and friends to donate to the American Red Cross International Response Fund for Haitian relief efforts.
"My thing is, you need to help others," said PTO vice-president Deanna Savino, who has four children, including two attending West Freehold.
Savino tries to impress on her children that, she says, "You should be lucky you have a meal on the table. These kids (in Haiti) have nothing."
Students seem to have taken the message to heart.
Katelyn Morie, 8, said she had raised about $20 for the relief effort. Nine-year-old Matt Donlon had collected about $5. And Lauren Speck, 9, said she donated $5 at her church.
"I think that we should help them (the people of Haiti) because they're really poor right now," said their classmate, 8-year-old Sonia Grejtakova.
In addition to this week's hop-a-thon, almost all the schools in the district have come up with some kind of fundraising effort.
The Clifton T. Barkalow middle schoolers will host a "coffee house" event Feb. 25 to benefit the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund. Joseph J. Catena elementary students are in the midst of a penny war; students at the Dwight D. Eisenhower middle school are also competing to see which grade can bring in the most money.
Donations are also being collected at the Laura Donovan and Marshall W. Errickson elementary schools, according to district spokeswoman Dawn Gravatt.
"We're very fortunate — We have a really nice group of kids here," said West Freehold gym teacher Chris Johnson.