Sisters elementary students raise funds for Humane Society

Looking for a new class community service project for the month of December, Katie Parsons' third- and fourth-grade class at Sisters Elementary School picked The Humane Society of Central Oregon out of a group of 10 organizations and raised $700 through a pledge drive to read as many minutes as possible, for a certain pledge amount.

The 24 students read 20,500 minutes in the month of December to raise the $700.

"We came up with a list of 10 charities that we could possibly support by reading, we did it as a pledge drive," said Parsons. "So the kids got to vote and they picked the Humane Society. All of December they logged their reading minutes and at the end of the month we totaled them up, saw how much money they brought in, and how many minutes they read. They read over 20,500 minutes and raised $700. I was astounded by that number. It was totally voluntary, and I was really surprised by what we did."

In November the students did a "Random Acts of Kindness" project. The students had a log sheet and they had to go around for a week and do something nice for others without them knowing. Parsons expressed the importance of developing the students' social skills as well as academic skills.

"We like to stick in community service, social-type things periodically," Parsons said. "I think it's important that they grow socially at this age, as well as academically."

Lynne Ouchida, community outreach manager for The Humane Society of Central Oregon was on hand for the ceremony. Ouchida thanked the students for their generosity and explained to them how much the money meant to the animals at the shelter and what it could do.

"During a conversation with Katie, we thought the amount was about $200, and later found out it was closer to $600, and now $700," said Ouchida. "That's a lot of money that can do some amazing things. I have a dog that ended up losing a leg that was from our shelter, and she is proof that every animal has possibilities, and the money the kids raised can go towards extra care we don't have money for, like X-rays, surgeries, just so many things. I have a list of things that the kids wanted to see done and we will fulfill that; we want to make their dollars go to help the animals in the manner they want them to."

The students were quite proud of their accomplishment. Nine-year-old Daisy Patterson said, "I read 240 minutes and raised $12. I think it was very cool what we did."

Ten-year-old Lala Debarie, a fourth-grader, read an astounding 5,000 minutes and raised $240, commenting, "I thought it was a great idea. The Humane Society wasn't my first choice, but it was my second, so I'm very happy."

Not only were the minutes read and the dollar amount raised impressive, it was what the students took away from the project that most impressed Parsons.

"You know what, these kids really did something remarkable, and I wanted them to get the recognition and have them understand that one person can make a difference," said Parsons. "It was so neat to see their excitement when they heard their minutes and final dollar amount, and to see them realize that they did something; that just one person reading a book can help accomplish something."