Change Wars raises money for UNICEF
Food makes everyone happy– Social studies teacher Jeff Gawle looks please after being pied in the face by junior Rita Monahan. Gawle was the winner of the UNICEF’s Change Wars, a fundraiser organized to raise money for their cause. The teacher who accumulated the most money would be pied.
April 4, 2017
During the week of March 6 to March 10, the UNICEF Club collected money during lunch waves in the cafeteria for their first-ever Change Wars, raising a total of $62.46. The club’s motto for the fundraiser was “Make change with what we’re doing.”
The UNICEF Club’s mission is to provide global protection of children’s rights, gender equality rights and funding for prominent causes such as education and safe drinking water in third world countries. The objective of Change Wars was to raise money for their cause, while also giving students and teachers a fun incentive and opportunity.
According to junior club Secretary Sasha Goldblatt, one of the main goals of the Change Wars was for the UNICEF Club at the high school level to raise money for the UNICEF Organization. She, along with the rest of the club worked with adviser and social studies teacher Amanda Roller to host the event.
“We had started [Change] Wars this year to raise money for our annual Hunger Banquet later this year which is our most successful fundraiser, where we usually raise the most revenue to then donate to UNICEF,” Goldblatt said.
For this event, the club set up four boxes in the cafe, each representative of a different volunteered staff member: Principal Bill Silva, social studies teacher Jeff Gawle, psychology teacher Michael Baxer and science teacher Laura Butterfield.
Donating any coins to a specific box decreased that teacher’s total, and any bills donated increased their total, which increased their chance of getting pied. If someone donated $5, the person’s name would be entered into a raffle to be the person to pie the winning (or losing) teacher.
“I volunteered to get pied because, you know me, I’m up for the challenge. I used to run the UNICEF club and anything to help them out I was willing to do,” Baxer said.
Despite Baxer’s volunteering, it was Gawle who ended up “winning” and was pied after school on April 3.
“I’m glad I could help raise money for a good cause. Some students who donated five or $10 didn’t know if I should feel happy or offended; however, I’m more than happy to use some animosity to contribute to a good cause,” Gawle said.
The UNICEF Club meets once a month in room 701. Anyone and everyone about helping others and being involved in global issues is invited to join.