French Club students at TWHS use homecoming to raise money for a good cause

THE WOODLANDS, Texas - For The Woodlands High School, maintaining academic success and excelling in extracurricular activities is key, but being a Highlander also means staying active in the community and lending a helping hand throughout the year. This Saturday, September 20th, students have booked their restaurants, planned their outfits and are ready to glam up for Homecoming 2014, a celebration of youth, dancing and memories with friends. This week is also especially important for The French Club, hoping Homecoming Spirit channels through students to also give back toward those less fortunate.

Living Water International helps communities create sustainable water, sanitation, hygiene and witness programs in third world countries, in partnership with local churches and other businesses globally. When Terri Whiteman, The Woodlands High School French Instructor and French Honor Society sponsor, discovered this organization, she suggested as a community service project that French Honor Society accept and promote the objective with their classmates. The students admired the opportunity and gave her their incentives to kickoff the fundraiser.

They conducted research and contacted a Living Water representative, officially beginning the project. Once aware of the student body size at the high school and economic affluence of The Woodlands, she thought it very possible for them to sell a goal of 1,000 buttons. The money raised will go to build clean water wells in places like Burkina Faso and Haiti, but also to help educate locals on the basics of water sanitation and safety. On average, residents of these third world countries travel between three and seven miles on foot to access sources of water that is extremely contaminated and polluted beyond pure tap water standards.

Anxious to share their project with over 4,000 peers at the high school, they set up a booth on Monday and advertised through all lunches. Over the last couple days this week, they have raised $1,000 in their efforts and hope that by the end of the week they will be able to multiply that total. Because students plan so far in advance for occasions like homecoming, students have already created their mums and are prepared to exchange this week, which is why The French Club has been unable to sell as many buttons as they had hoped.

As the weeks end quickly approaches, they have decided to lower the cost per button to five dollars, in hopes that students choose to add them alongside their mums as an embellishment showing they have expressed care and support toward the fundraiser and donated.

“We hope students at The Woodlands High School understand that the buttons themselves are worthless, but the money they donate is helping immensely for families around the world in need of clean water,” said a French Club member, Nacho Garcia.