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A cup of java leads to food for classmates

Enjoying some morning java are, from left, Animas High School students Izzy Tyler, Grace Frediger and Risa Holmes. They are participating in a three-week fundraiser selling Desert Sun Coffee for their school.

One of my favorite things is encouraging young people in their quest to become philanthropists.

At Animas High School, they’re giving where they live – or study, anyway – with what has become an annual fundraiser, the sale of bags of Desert Sun Coffee. Let’s just say that for three weeks, there’s a bit of a caffeine buzz in the hallways.

I don’t mention Desert Sun enough – I see the coffee at event after event, giving what it can as a small business. The company gives in a more global sense as well, as it only uses fair-trade coffee beans.

In this instance, for several years running, Desert Sun has partnered with the school and the students to raise money supporting AHS for both short- and long-term fundraising goals.

Every year, students organizing the fundraiser decide how the money raised will be used to benefit their school. This year, they saw a clear need and decided to fill it, but not before brainstorming and defending ideas in need of funding within the school. That’s a key part of the school’s culture.

Animas High School doesn’t have a cafeteria or federally funded free or low-cost lunches. Juniors and seniors are allowed off campus for lunch, but most students eat in the school’s commons area. Students either bring their lunches or have daily options for a $6 lunch catered by area restaurants. But $6 a day adds up fast.

So Feeding Our Ospreys Daily – the osprey is the school mascot – committee decided that the money raised in 2015 would go to developing a free and reduced-price lunch option for families that qualify. The goal is to have it up and running for the fall semester, with the committee meeting weekly to figure out the logistics.

Many people still don’t understand that Animas High is a public charter school, but unlike Durango School District 9-R, its facilities aren’t paid for through bond issues (at least the facilities themselves. Everybody pays utilities and operating costs from their per student allocation). So it runs on a tight budget, with fundraising at all levels to be able to provide its project-based learning.

At least 30 students will qualify for the assistance, and we all know how important good nutrition is to learning.

AHS also believes that student voice is important, so they’re looking at adding vegetarian and gluten-free items to the menu.

The coffee sales brought in a whopping $3,500, which gives them a tremendous start.

Rather than resting on their laurels, committee members are also putting together a plan for sustaining the reduced and free lunch program, including further fundraisers and a donor campaign as well as considering a small food service cart or kiosk selling granola bars, juice, crackers and so on to provide ongoing funding for the program.

Members of the FOOD committee include students Lawson Nerenberg, Hayden Stills, Rebecca Schaldach, Sara Lawton and Savannah Pavigilianiti along with AHS staff members Marcus Renner, Libby Cowles and Ashley Hein.

My thanks to senior Marley Weaver-Gabel and Hein for serving as my correspondents for this story.

HHH

While I’m on the topic of budding philanthropists, the third graders at Florida Elementary School started supporting their classmate JJ English, who was seriously injured in an automobile accident a month ago, by paying $1 to wear a hat to school on Fridays.

But after deciding that wasn’t enough, they created a fundraiser – with the help of some parents – which will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday. Not only are they budding philanthropists, they’re budding entrepreneurs, too, offering to teach lessons such as how to dance, create origami or learn MineCraft skills. (I’d have to learn what MineCraft is first.)

They’re offering an evening full of food, arm wrestling, a diverse silent auction with items donated by our generous businesses, a live pie auction and more. And did I mention the arm wrestling?

Stormy Garlington (903-1649) and Nika Brandt (422-2847) are still collecting silent auction items, pies and volunteers. Whether or not you know the Englishes, this is what a true community does, come together to help a neighbor in need. I hope I’ll see y’all out there on Friday evening. Florida Mesa Elementary is located at 216 Colorado Highway 172, just after you turn off U.S. Highway 160 at Elmore’s Corner.

All funds raised will go to the Jason English family, who even with insurance, are dealing with the expenses of staying up in Denver for about 10 days and trying to keep a household going after missing a lot of work.

JJ is home from Denver, but dealing with a major leg wound that required a skin graft, a head injury and facial bone fractures that will require further surgery.

There’s nothing more heartening than knowing that people care enough about you to help you through a tough time. That may be just as helpful as the money in JJ’s healing.

And c’mon, how can you skip a fundraiser whose slogan is, “JJ is funny, so let’s make him some money!”

HHH

The Fort Lewis College Foundation is holding its most important fundraiser of the year, TLC for FLC, at 6 p.m. April 25. It’s the most important because it’s for scholarships and faculty grants. FLC is a critical institution when it comes to the health of our community, so consider going.

Contact Kim Schwartz at 247-7080 or kaschwartz@fortlewis.edu.

HHH

Happy birthday wishes go to the last of the Aries celebrants and the first of the Taurus babies – Annslee Crouch, Gary Conrad, Eric Copeland, Calvin Chase, Sarah Somrak, Topher Leach, Dorothy Gore, Marc Miller, Mary Ann Craig and Bill Watt.

HHH

Marking another year of building a life together are George and Aurora Rose.

Special greetings go to Jim and Eileen Zick, who will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary Sunday with family and friends. After marrying in Aspen in 1965, they made their way down to Durango in 1968.

HHH

Neighbors will be back April 25, as I’ll be off for a few days next week. I want to thank my readers, who have been generous in sharing their stories with me and faithfully look for the column every Wednesday and Saturday. This is my 15th anniversary of writing Neighbors, and it’s been a fun, interesting, rewarding journey. I’ve had a front-row seat to our community at its best, for once leaving the wordy queen, well, speechless!

HHH

Here’s how to reach me: neighbors@durangoherald.com; phone 375-4584; mail items to the Herald; or drop them off at the front desk. Please include contact names and phone numbers for all items. Follow me on Twitter @Ann_Neighbors.

I am happy to consider photos for Neighbors, but they must be high-quality, high-resolution photos (at least 1 MB of memory).



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