Lakeview Students Learn About Non-Profits Through Research, Writing, Advocacy
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David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
Lakeview Middle School eighth-graders showed what causes they are passionate about Friday during the Warsaw school’s first non-profit fair. Katie Lowry, English/language arts teacher, said the students had to research, write and advocate for a not-for-profit of their choice. The goal was to teach students about research and writing, but also show students that they should use their writing for the good of the world, not just themselves. All eighth-graders at Lakeview participated because they all are taking language arts classes. The approximately 300 students worked on their projects for the past 4-1/2 weeks. Some of the students actively did fundraising for their organization, Lowry said, while others volunteered. She said it took some time to coordinate it all. Students also wrote letters to the organizations and got pamphlets and other material back. “They could choose local, national or a global organization. It was all up to them,” Lowry stated. Some students overlapped, but if two students in her class picked the same organization, she said one of her students had to pick another cause. “We told the kids to do whatever they’re passionate about and the organization you want to do,” Lowry said. “Our whole goal was to teach them values and that they could be transcendent.” She said parents, administrators, non-profits and the media all were invited to the non-profit fair in the gymnasium yesterday. Eighth-grader Alex Cook chose the non-profit American Forests. “American Forests is an association that works to re-establish and protect forests in America and around the world,” Cook said. He picked it, he said, because he always liked being outside, in the forest and going camping. “I wanted to do what I could to help the environment,” Cook said. Its headquarters is in Washington, D.C., because American Forests advocates Congress for legislation that protects trees and forests, he said. More information about the non-profit is available online at americanforests.org Adriana Gudino picked UNICEF. “I chose UNICEF because UNICEF helps kids that really can’t get help for themselves,” she said. “Also, they help young teens, mostly women, with gender equality and gives them a safe environment.” Gudino said she heard about UNICEF before having to do the class project, but she learned more about it. One specific thing she learned is that UNICEF helped more people than she thought it did. Last year, she said, it helped 170 million people. More information on UNICEF can be found online at www.unicef.org Some of the other non-profits highlighted at the fair included Soldiers’ Angels, ModestNeeds.org, Goodwill, RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), Cancer Research Institute, Big Cat Rescue, Habitat for Humanity and ALS Association. Students voted for the “best” presentations, with the top three from the three classes winning prizes.
