Norwalk High School Students Get Lesson In Giving Back, Raise $20K For Charity
NORWALK (CBSLA.com) — Several high school seniors Tuesday donated more than $20,000 to several charities as part of a fundraising project at Norwalk High School.
According to school officials, each student researched a variety of charities and presented the organization they felt connected to within their government classes.
When presentations concluded, every class voted for a specific charity as the recipient of their fundraising efforts.
The following charities were chosen as recipients: Autism Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Doorway for Women and Families, Dream Big Project, National Hemophilia Foundation, National Kidney Foundation, Rady Children's Hospital, Rape Abuse and Incest National Network, Susan G. Komen Foundation, Relay for Life, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors.
Around 10:15 a.m., students presented representatives of the 12 charities with checks inside the school gymnasium.
Many seniors were personally affected by the issues that the selected charities address. Students explained their reasoning for the selection of each charity.
Two students -- Arianna Real, whose mother is on dialysis, and Jian Bravo, whose little sister had her kidney replaced to treat cancer -- presented a check for $1,500 to the National Kidney Foundation.
"My sister was diagnosed with cancer at a very young age. We weren't sure if she was going to make it or not because she developed a tumor that was the size of a football ," Bravo said.
As of Monday, the students raised more than $20,000 for the charities in only three weeks, doubling their original goal of $10,000 officials explained.