Lending a Helping Hand to our Global Neighbours in Haiti

When Canadians heard about the horrible disaster in Haiti and its magnitude, our first, instinctive reaction was to help. That reaction was no different at TFS, and staff and students at all three branches of the School are getting involved. 

At the Mississauga campus, staff immediately set up donation boxes for the Canadian Red Cross. The Junior School felt particularly concerned due to its long association with L’Institution Univers, a school located in Ouanaminthe, Haiti. For over 15 years, Junior School students and staff have raised money for the school, and donated and shipped books to them, while the PA has donated used school clothing.  Though the students, teachers and school buildings in Ouanaminthe were unharmed, the school’s leaders have asked for donations to help the families that were. The Junior School also decided to donate a portion of its fundraising efforts to Médecins sans Frontières.

As a result, Friday, January 22nd has been declared a Journée Chic (no uniform day) at the Junior School. Children have been asked to dress simply in a white shirt and jeans, and bring along their monetary contribution.

At the Senior School, multi-pronged efforts are taking place. The donation box set outside the MPR at last Friday’s Dance Show raised $333.17. Meanwhile, those TFS Level II – IV students who will be travelling to Ecuador in March to help build a school in a rural community, under the auspices of Me to We, have adjusted their fundraising efforts to include Haiti as well. As part of their service trip, the students are putting together donated educational and medical kits to distribute while in Ecuador. But in light of the devastation in Haiti, the students and staff involved decided to donate half the collected kits to Free the Children’s Haitian projects. Free the Children, founded by Canadian Craig Kielburger and 11 of his school friends in 1995, is the sister organization to Me to We. The Senior School will be accepting educational and medical items from Monday, January 18th through Friday, January 29th.