Colorado elementary students raise money for clean water for South Sudan

In Mrs. Stacy Budaj's literacy class at Aurora Frontier Elementary School, students read a lot of books, but the class is about more than just reading. The goal is for the Colorado students to understand what they are reading.

"I like to choose books that are very highly engaging for students," said Budaj.

One of her go-to books is "A Long Walk to Water" by Linda Sue Park.

It's based on the true story of Salva Dut, who started an organization called Water for South Sudan. The nonprofit drills wells to provide clean water.

Mrs. Budaj has been having her students read it for three years, but this year, something special happened.

One of her sixth-grade classes felt so moved by the book that they decided they wanted to raise money for Water for South Sudan. They set a goal of $1,000, which seemed lofty.

"We had done the math, and I think 90 kids in sixth grade. So about, $15, per kid would get us to our goal," said student Hannah Conyers.

Undaunted, they decided to trade service for service. Each kid was sponsored to pick up trash around their school on the weekend. When all the work was done and the totals tallied, they were in for a surprise. They raised nearly triple the amount of money they set out to raise.

"I felt like it made me have a sense of joy," said student CJ Wilkins.

"It was pretty exciting," said Conyers. 

Mrs. Budaj is proud of her students, of course, but more importantly, the students say they learned something more than just an appreciation for literature.

"We learned that children can make a change," said Conyers.

"Small actions can really do something good for someone else, and you might just not know it," said Wilkins.

"I'm so proud that they want to be part of a global community. That's not something typical that you see from an 11 or 12-year-old," said Budaj.