Pacifica middle school students create fundraiser for Los Angeles fire victims
A group of middle school students in Pacifica is proving that age is no obstacle when it comes to making a difference for victims of the Los Angeles wildfires.
Students from Ingrid B. Lacy Middle School were moved by the widespread devastation left by the fires and decided they wanted to help. But what began as a simple class project has now turned into a large-scale fundraiser, thanks to the encouragement of their teacher, Kathryn Sosnowski.
"As a community, we are really trying to teach our students at IBL to care about others, no matter who those others are," said Sosnowski. "This has been just another example of kids coming together to help each other."
The students, moved by the stories of loss and destruction, launched a GoFundMe campaign to provide financial relief to wildfire victims.
For some of the students, the cause is deeply personal. Sofia Salinas shared how her brother, a South San Francisco firefighter, was deployed to Los Angeles to help battle the flames.
"He had the option to go to the fires, and he chose to go," said Salinas. "It's really heartfelt because I was scared, but I know he was saving people."
Other students saw the need to help children like themselves who had lost everything in the fires.
"It's for the Greater Los Angeles Education Foundation, so we can help students who lost all their education stuff," said Gianna Nieves, a student involved in the fundraiser.
The students didn't stop at helping humans; they also wanted to animals affected by the disaster. They partnered with Rocket Dog Rescue to hold a dog adoption event in Pacifica, to make room in shelters for pets rescued from fire zones.
"We are helping get dogs adopted, which means for these kiddos, they get to hold puppies for hours on end," Sosnowski said.
The pet adoption event is scheduled for this Sunday, February 9th in Pacifica.
Their efforts have already paid off. In just over a week, they have raised nearly $5,000 on GoFundMe, proving their dedication is a true testament to the power of young voices.
