In the wake of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, thousands of people in Texas, Florida, and the Antilles archipelago have lost everything they own and are now faced with the heavy task of rebuilding. With much of the country’s attention focused on those specifically in Florida and Texas, one student at Old Rochester Rehional High has decided to spread the love to some of the affected islands as well.
Senior Alice Bednarczyk is the creator behind the ORRHS “Bake Sale for Irma Victims.”
“All the proceeds from our bake sale will be going towards helping the people of the Virgin Islands recover from the awful hurricane that just devastated their homes,” said Bednarczyk. “They need as much help as they can get and this is the least we can do.”
All proceeds from the bake sale will go to All Hands, a local nonprofit based in Mattapoisett that assists with the long-term needs of any world-wide community affected by natural disasters. All Hands merchandise will also be sold at the bake sale for donation prices.
Bednarczyk explained how she came up with her fundraising idea.
“In my freshmen year of high school, a senior raised several hundred dollars for the 2015 Nepal earthquake just by selling whoopie pies,” said Bednarczyk. “I remembered that moment as I saw all the destroyed homes on national television. Since bake sales at ORR typically make a sizeable donation amount, I figured that a bake sale would be the best idea to raise money for this cause.”
“I’ve had tons of support so far,” Bednarczyk said. “Principal Devoll immediately green lit the bake sale idea. Ms. Barker, the school librarian, also taught me how to make posters online that I then put up around the school to raise awareness. Overall, everyone has been incredibly eager and helpful about everything.”
The National Honor Society and their advisors, English teachers Randy Allain and Kathleen Brunelle, were also very enthusiastic towards the idea. In fact, Bednarczyk has already served as an inspiration to her NHS peers since they have begun to plan other ways they can give back to the hurricane-affected communities.
The bake sale will be held on Thursdsay, September 21, during the high school open house from 6:30 to 9:00 pm. Don’t worry if you can’t make it, though, according to Bednarczyk.
“If people want to donate, we will have containers for donations at the night of the bake sale, but you can also go on All Hand’s website at www.hands.org. Just select the donate option and choose “Hurricane Irma Response,” Bednarczyk said.
By Jo Caynon