CFHS mobilizes for Haiti relief effort

Senior Nate Buck will be DJing at the winter dance on Feb. 13, with the proceeds going toward Haiti relief. Honor Heindl photo.

Sara Gabriele/Staff Writer

Students and staff at Cedar Falls High School are taking on various projects to raise relief funds for the Haiti earthquake victims.

Student Senate is selling T-shirts for $10 each that say “Haiti” and have a South African symbol that means “support and cooperation.” The shirts are for sale in the main office and will also be sold at the upcoming winter dance on Saturday, Feb. 13. The dance will be a semi-formal called the “February Fling” and will be held at Nazareth Lutheran Church with a $5 admission fee. Student Senate plans to donate all proceeds from the dance to the relief efforts, and a student DJ, senior Nate Buck, will be hired to maximize the funds raised.

“Student Senate always takes an active role in addressing world-wide problems,” student body president Allison Duchman said. “It’s important because they’ve gone through so much, and there’s no such thing as too much help.”

Senior Leadership will add to the efforts by selling wristbands within the next two weeks for $2 a piece during lunch and in the activity office.

“We wanted something different that won’t die out in the first few weeks,” adviser Diane Flaherty. “Generally people stop losing interesting in the third week of any crisis and start moving on. It’s important to remember this is an ongoing problem. Hopefully they [the wristbands] can provide a constant reminder.”

Senior Leadership also plans to conduct a penny war during 3rd hour classes through the week of Feb. 1.

Other individuals around the school have also been taking the initiative to raise funds for Haiti relief.

Psychology teacher Charles Blair-Broeker and his psychology students contributed to the national relief efforts the Friday after the earthquake.

“When things like this happen I’m always frustrated I can’t do more, but the one thing I can do is send money,” Blair-Broeker said.

An envelope was passed around in his classes and a total of $375 was donated to the Red Cross.

Sophomore Karl Sadkowski has also been soliciting spare change for Haiti during 4th period lunch blocks and at school events. He set up a booth at the last men’s sophomore and varsity basketball game and raised over $100.

“Anything helps. Obviously it won’t make a massive impact for the issues going on over there, but hopefully it can help,” Sadkowski said.

He will be collecting money at the basketball home games until Feb. 5 and will donate all money raised to the Red Cross.

“What I like is that it’s just a good spirit of giving,” said government teacher Bob Schmidt, who will be giving faculty support to Sadkowski’s fundraising efforts. “The images and stories coming out of Haiti are heartbreaking, and any type of humanitarian effort is a good thing.”