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A Few Clouds Buck sixth-graders help Haiti
Pair raise $850 with garage sale, collecting bottles and cans
Only 12 years old, Aaron Adams and Matthew Marcott are trying to better the world. After hearing about January’s devastating earthquake in Haiti, the boys decided to do something, and have raised several hundred dollars in the past three months.
Aaron and Matthew formed their own organization, Help Heal Haiti, to raise money for relief efforts. The sixth-graders at the William L. Buck School said a friend told them about a relative who was hurt in earthquake and decided to do something. “It was kind of scary to picture what was going on down there,” Aaron said.
They collected bottles and cans, and redeemed them for a nickel each at King Kullen, sometimes spending up to two hours there. Matthew said that his grandmother brought them thousands of bottles from the hospital she volunteers at in Suffolk County. Additionally, Matthew said he collected redeemable bottles from the recycling bins at school.
The boys also shoveled for neighbors and cleaned off cars during the winter snowstorms. On April 17, they held a garage sale at Aaron’s Fremont Road home, selling items donated by friends and family. They had everything from toys and clothes, to salt and pepper shakers and a vanity. Aaron noted that one woman bought all the books so she could teach her daughter English.
The garage sale netted $300, bringing their grand total to $850 for Haiti relief efforts. “It was really fun to watch our donations just escalate,” Aaron said.
Money was given to the American Red Cross. The boys each went in person to turn in their donations. “They said that it’s really great that a bunch of young students can make an impact,” Matthew said, adding that Red Cross officials were very interested in their story as to how they collected the money.
Matthew said they chose to donate to the Red Cross because the boys know they are a reliable organization and the money will go straight to Haiti. In addition, he has donated some toiletries and used clothing to relief efforts.
He’s no stranger to giving. Matthew said in the past he has donated $200 of his own savings to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. His grandmother is in remission from leukemia, he said, and an aunt has lymphoma.
