David Douglas ESL class makes a difference

In April 2009, the ESL class from David Douglas visited the exhibit with their teachers, Alexandra Buys and Andrea Binder. Students in this class have been living in the USA for two years or less and are learning English for the first time. During their visit, they were amazed to see representations of situations from their own home countries. Many of them had experienced disaster, conflict, and poverty firsthand in the past. In the debriefing room, they asked many questions, and some shared about how blessed they felt to live in the US now.

When the students returned to their class, the teachers encouraged them to find a way to make a difference. For many of these students, volunteerism and community service was a completely new idea. Although these students have little financial resources, they were inspired by the message that even a small amount of money could go a long way in helping others. The class decided to collect refundable bottles and cans for two months. Their teacher reported that this project became an important focus for the class during the two months. They competed to bring in bottlesand cans, volunteered to take them to a local supermarket drop-off, tracked their savings weekly, and worked out precisely how much this donation would provide in medical services and supplies through Medical Teams International. The teacher was impressed with the students' collaboration, commitment, and strong desire to help.

Early in the summer teacher Alexandra Buys delivered the class donation: $106.25 in carefully tallied small bills and coins. This was accompanied by a bright colorful poster signed by all the students. It read:

“Your work inspired us to help make a difference.
Empty bottles were recycled and money we received in return.
May it now become someone’s hope.
The ESL students of David Douglas High School wish
Medical Teams International to continue bringing hope to those in need.”

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