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STUDENT FUNDRAISERS
Dear Save The Whales, I am twelve years old and have always been interested in marine life. My fascination started when I was seven years old when I went on a trip with my family to Mexico. While I was there I got the chance to swim with dolphins. It was so much fun! In Alaska, my family and I were lucky enough to go whale watching. Swimming with the dolphins and whale watching confirmed my love for marine biology and whales. I wanted to do something about helping marine life so I looked on the internet and found your organization. My bat-mitzvah was coming up in about a year and one of the customs is to perform some type of good deed. I decided my good deed, or mitzvah, would be to raise money for Save The Whales. I collected cans and bottles in my neighborhood for one year and have raised $360. It is my pleasure to enclose a check for $360 payable to Save The Whales. I hope you will use this money for the benefit of whales everywhere. For the the second year in a row Ellie has raised funds for Save The Whales by recycling. This year she raised $215 through her efforts! Ellie Carr Dear Save The Whales, For my 12th birthday I invited some friends to go whale watching with me to celebrate! Instead of presents, I asked them to give donations to you. With their donations, and me putting in some too, I raised a grand total of 157 dollars! Every week when I get my allowance ($5), I split it into 3 categories: “Fun money” that goes into my wallet, “savings” that goes into my savings account, and “donations” which I pick an organization to send it to when the envelope is filled up. I have sent money to you before, but I think (and am happy to say) that this is the largest amount I have sent to you so far! I know that you are a great organization on a mission to save the whales (like your name states!) I hope that my donation will help the future of all whales! Thank you! Sincerely, Liliana Muscarella, California My name is Elaine Abbenhaus. I am in 4th grade at Cherry Tree Elementary School (in Indiana). We had a project on endangered animals and I chose the Blue Whale. I want to help save this amazing animal. Part of my project was a raffle with the money going to Save The Whales. I am happy to send you this check for $127.42. Thank you. Dear Save The Whales, Hello! I just wanted to give you a quick note on how this money was raised. My 9 year old daughter Rachael was in the process of finishing her 3rd quarter theme for the year in her 3rd grade class which was about oceans and ocean life. Her teacher, Lynn Lorton, asked each child to choose an endangered or threatened marine animal and to think of ways to raise awareness of the general public of their plight. Children responded by making posters, placing ads in newspapers and holding raffles to raise money. Rachael chose to serve two groups – her classmates and the sperm whale. Her class does not eat lunch until almost 1:00 pm each day as they are on the last lunch rotation. Their teacher allows them to bring in a snack to eat at their tables during novel (reading) time at 10 am to stave off the “hungries.” Many days students forget to bring a snack, so they either share or go hungry until lunch. Rachael made several little snack bags of whale cheese crackers and iced down a cooler of bottled water from which she had taken off the original labels and replaced with custom-made labels of a picture of a sperm whale with your web address on it. She sold each for 50 cents each morning before the bell rang. She did this for two weeks before spring break as they were finishing their theme projects. At the end of two weeks, she had raised $32 for the sperm whale! She was thrilled to have helped and when we went to Puerta Vallarta, Mexico over spring break, we were excited to be able to see a humpback whale before it had begun its migration north for the summer. Rachael loves whales and she has learned the whale song from your website and has enrolled the music teacher at her school into teaching it to the children to sing on May 6th again this year. Amy L. Schinbeckler, Indiana To whom it may concern: I am sending this letter and check to you on behalf of my 4 year old son, Jon Michael Stroh who had a special “Save the Whales” birthday party that raised money to help save the dear animals he’s grown to love so much. His special birthday was full of all whale species – killer whales, sperm whales, humpbacks and more! He’s a real marine enthusiast; he prefers to call himself an “animal scientist.” In addition to loving animals, he’s also quite an artist. So, we decided that he would “auction” off 10 of his art pieces at the party to raise money for your organization. His 10 pieces brought in a grand total of $46! He was so proud! Enclosed is the check (he couldn’t understand why we shouldn’t send the cash!) We all appreciate your organization’s efforts to save the beautiful whales of the world. Keep up the good work! Sincerely, Jenny Adkins-Stroh, Wisconsin A couple of young Save The Whales’ members wanted to become involved with the organization and help the environment. Victoria and Veronica Arms of Williamsburg, VA had an idea for a fundraiser to assist and raise awareness for sea life. They planned a small event at their elementary school. What happened though was that an astounding $4,000 was raised in one week, when 78 students sold pizza and cookie dough. The girls joined Save The Whales last year at the suggestion of their parents. In a recent interview in her home city, Veronica said, “I want to be the police, ...the litter police,” she clarified. Her big sister Victoria said that being a “mad scientist” would work for her. Their mother, Pam Arms, said, “They love sea life and are just little activists.” From reading Save The Whales’ literature, the girls found out a lot about whales, and also learned about the dangers facing marine life such as balloons which whales, dolphins, turtles and other sea animals can easily ingest. Victoria said, “They are dying because we are polluting.” Mother Pam thought that joining an organization geared toward children would be a fun way to bolster her daughters’ love for the environment. She then found out that Maris Sidenstecker founded the organization when she was 14 years old, with the help of her mother. Initially the fundraiser was going to take place in the girls’ classrooms, but the faculty become interested and it went schoolwide. Then the community stepped in to help and Great Wolf Lodge and Wal-Mart donated prizes to the top fundraisers. Throughout May, the students read and learned about whales, they held a clean-up day and learned about recycling and the environment. The whirlwind fundraiser ended with an assembly where students sang songs, discussed conservation and environmental responsibility and prizes were awarded. Principal David Gaston of the James River School said, “This was definitely beyond anything we had initially planned on accomplishing.” Victoria and Veronica are looking forward to next year when they want to do the fundraiser again. So many people came up to them and said they wanted to be involved next year that their mother wonders if the entire school district will become involved. Until then the girls plan to send money to a sea turtle hospital in Florida. When they aren’t fundraising, the girls swim for the Sharks swim team and are totally devoted karate kids. The Arms Family of Williamsburg, Virginia, followed up last year’s fundraiser with a significant $2,400 raised for Save The Whales. Daughters Veronica and Victoria were assisted by their parents, Pamela and Richard, in selling cookie dough at the girls’ school. They all worked very hard to achieve this year’s successful endeavor. Thank you to our “East Coast Pals” for the passion and support your family brings to Save The Whales. Arms Family, Williamsburg, Virginia We are grade 4 students and our school had a small business unit. We want to give you our money. We made $40.14 and we hope you use it good. In our small business unit, we sold rice krispie squares and it was a big success! Sincerely, Macard, 4th Grade Darwin School P.S. Save The Whales and Keep on doing a great job! The Children’s Religious Education Department chose to contribute $125.00 to Save The Whales. Every year, the children vote on an organization to whom they donate half of the chapel offering. This year Save The Whales was selected. Sincerely, Countryside Church, Palatine, Illinois Laura, age 12, raised $14.03 with a lemonade stand. She also made petitions for Harp Seal Pups, Amazon River Dolphin, and Save the Seals and collected signatures. The petitions also contained a drawing of each animal. Laura This fundraiser comes from the Isle of Wight in England where Courtney Durand and her friend, Wendy, raised funds. They did a sponsored winter day swim as part of a school project and raised $36.47. Thank you Courtney and friends for swimming for Save The Whales and your contribution. Courtney Durand & Wendy Eliza of London, England raised £103.00 for Save The Whales by holding a cake sale. We are grateful for Eliza’s achievement and appreciate her efforts from "across the pond." Eliza Lauren Smyth of Kingwood, TX reports that she raised $250 through her charity event. The show was “phenomenal,” and Lauren said there was a point where the 100-strong crowd was chanting “Save The Whales” to an erratic drumbeat. Thanks Lauren for your great effort. Lauren Smyth, Kingwood, Texas Notre Dame High School in Belmont, CA held a fundraiser called “Penny Wars.” Each class tried to fill an empty water jug with pennies, as other classes were putting in bills and different coins. The class with the most pennies (after the bills and other coins were subtracted) won. Thank you to the young women of Notre Dame High School for their fun and fundraising idea! Theresa Vallez-Kelly, Belmont, California Instead of getting presents for his 9th birthday, Alex Workman asked his friends to bring donations for Save The Whales. He raised $300 with his effort and Alex reports, “he felt really good about it.” His interest in whales began when he did a project about the blue whale in school. He learned that they reproduce only once every two years and that we need to be careful to keep them healthy. He thanks us for helping save the whales for “all of us,” and we thank Alex for his generosity. Alex Workman, Fredericksburg, Virginia For her 10th birthday, Lucy asked for donations instead of gifts and raised an impressive $92. We appreciate her enthusiasm and thank her for her selfless fundraiser. Lucy raised another $30 at her 11th birthday party for Save The Whales! Her donation will help fund education and outreach programs to schoolchildren about whales. Thank-you Lucy for making your contribution. The inspirational Lucy also had a successful fundraiser at her previous birthday. At Lucy's school, they asked each fifth grade student to respond to the following for the yearbook: I'm going to change the world by..., and Lucy's response was, "I'm going change the world by Saving the Whales." Lucy Kneissler, Arlington, Massachusetts The Brownie Troop of Cathy Cropley in Mars Hill, ME watched the film “Free Willy" and decided they wanted to help the whales. They collected loose change from couches and other places and raised $76.07. By holding this year-long project, the girls learned that even small change can make a difference. Thank you Troop 636 for your contribution. Brownie Troop 636 of Cathy Cropley The Frankford Plains United Methodist Church in Augusta, N.J., held its yearly vacation Bible School in August. The theme was "Underwater Bible Adventures," and their mission project was Save The Whales The children were told that they “are called to be good stewards of what God has created for us.“ In addition to collecting $300 for Save The Whales, the children learned many facts concerning efforts to save the whales. Thank you, children for helping save the whales. Frankford Plains United Methodist Church, Augusta, New Jersey Alex Verron of Connecticut has had a fundraiser for Save The Whales four years in a row. This year he raised an impressive $1,469.00 by holding a donation party where he auctioned and raffled Save The Whales’ products. The funds Alex raised will be used for our school education and outreach program, Whales On Wheels WOW™. Many thanks for your dedicated support, Alex. Alex Verron, Connecticut Santa Catalina School, Monterey, California, raised $568 in the middle school, with special participation by the seventh grade class. Each year, the middle school sponsors one dance and chooses a worthy cause for the proceeds. The donations were received as the entry fee for the dance and the funds raised were given to Save The Whales “to help in the good work that your organization is doing.” Thank you Santa Catalina School. Santa Catalina School, Monterey, California Seven-year-old Sami Schepers of Waukee, IA, held a bake sale and raised $25 which she contributed to Save The Whales. Her mother Melanie states that Sami is very caring and interested in marine biology, and she understands that we have an obligation to help. Thank you, Sami, for your care and contribution. Sami Schepers, Waukee, Iowa The Plymouth High School Homecoming Committee celebrated their 2007-2008 homecoming with an “Under the Sea” theme. The committee chose Save The Whales to receive their $150 donation. Thank you for helping our educational outreach programs with your generosity. Plymouth Wisconsin High School Homecoming Committee Ian Malbec, age 11, of Vermont raised $95 in donations at his birthday party for Save The Whales. We are impressed with his generous actions on behalf of the whales. You are an example of how each person can make a difference. Ian Malbec, Vermont The Colston's Girls' School in Bristol U.K. raised £16 which was donated to Save The Whales. We will use the funds for our educational programs and thank “The Girls of C.T.”, as they wish to be designated, very much. April 2008  Four year old Mason Isaac of Illinois raised $717 for Save The Whales at his "Let's Make A Difference" birthday party. Every year Mason chooses a different organization to support in lieu of birthday gifts. His mother decorated their home with cut-out whales to add to the theme. Many thanks to Mason and his family for their compassion and generosity. Mason is an inspiration to others for his efforts to help the whales. The contribution will fund education and outreach programs to schools. Mason Isaac, Illinois My friends and I (3rd grade students) did a lemonade stand to raise money to save the whales. We raised $41.91. We wanted to donate to save the whales for different reasons. One reason is that we know the whales are going extinct. We hope the whales will be safe and sound anywhere. We really liked doing this because it proved that anyone can make a difference. Leela, Michaela & Tina, The Lemonade Stand Girls, New York The Key Club of North Bergen, N.J. donated $50 and we are most appreciative that they selected Save The Whales as the recipient of their contribution. The funds will raise awareness among children re the plight of marine mammals. Key Club High Tech High School Katrina Cooley asked for donations in lieu of gifts for her 11th birthday and raised an impressive $165. Thank you for your selfless effort on behalf of whales and other marine mammals. Suzanne McCormick (Katrina's mother), Virginia Elisa raised a notable $170 on her 12th birthday by requesting donations instead of gifts. Thank you for your meaningful contribution to helping marine life. Karen Winslow-McGovern (Elisa's mother), New Jersey Rita Feder from New York City raised an inspiring $114 on her eighth birthday. Thank you Rita for generously donating to Save The Whales in lieu of receiving gifts. Rita Feder, New York The proud parents of 7-year-old Billy Wilkerson of Pennsylvania report that he donated his 35¢ snack money to Save The Whales for a total donation of $14.44. Save The Whales thanks the selfless and thoughtful Billy. Billy’s Parents, Pennsylvania Ten-year old Ellie of Indiana began collecting money after she saw an Imax film on whales. She decorated a box to “save the beluga whale,” and carried it with her to school and various other places. Her parents are very proud of her for wanting to make a difference. Ellie’s efforts raised $32, and Save The Whales thanks you for your innovative idea. Traci Lane, mother A proud mother wrote of her son’s efforts to save endangered whales at his school. Ethan is in Grade 2 and 8 years old. His passion for marine life began at the age of 2. His school project – to promote awareness and challenge the students - led Ethan to make a poster showing five endangered whales. Suggestions were included on how a person can change our environment to help the whales, such as recycling. He also gave a 10-minute presentation addressing the causes and concerns for the endangered animals. His teacher, Mrs. Truss, helped him by handing out petitions to the other Grade 2 classes and asking for their help. Ethan has helped the whales and given himself a sense of great accomplishment. Save The Whales thanks Ethan for his excellent efforts and raising awareness. Keep up the good work. Tanya Hobson, Ethan’s mother, Georgetown, Ontario, Canada
For her seventh birthday in April, Georgia Colegrave's mother reports that her daughter raised £167 ($240 U.S.). She requested donations to Save The Whales from her friends in lieu of birthday presents. Georgia lives in London, and her generous contribution will support educational programs.. Thank you for your caring and generous gift to Save The Whales. Fiona Colegrave - Mother, London, England The OB Whaley Elementary School in East San Jose, CA has a group of students involved with Project Cornerstone. They decided that they wanted to get involved with Save The Whales and saved pennies throughout the year. When their fundraising was concluded, they had $513 to contribute. Thank you Whaley students for contributing to our educational programs. Reported by their teacher, Michelle Balistreri We are even more impressed with their generosity because the school is Title I, which means that students are extremely low income. Maris Sidenstecker I - Save The Whales Valhalla Middle School in Valhalla, NY, raised $76 to protect the whale’s habitat. Students in the 7th and 8th grade of the Environmental Club raised these funds at their last bake sale. Congratulations and thank you to all the members for their hard work. Reported by Nori Lustig, Environmental Club Advisor Two girls, Caroline, age 10, and Paige, age 8, raised money in the sum of $37 by selling crafts that they made. The young women sold their designs to neighbors. Their favorite animals are whales and “they want to help them live.” The girls asked for brochures to help them raise more funds. Thank you for your good works. Caroline and Paige, Tucson AZ
Ella raised $5 and wants it to be used to save beluga whales. She sent us a note stating that she raised the funds and her mother said that it was her own idea. Thank you, Ella, for your help in saving belugas. Dundas, Ontario, Canada
Mollie is 8 years old and in Grade 3. After seeing whales being harmed on TV, she sent us a $7 donation. Thank you for your concern and thoughtful contribution, Mollie. Lincoln, Missouri
Daniel Ramkumar of Champaign, IL asked for donations for his 10th birthday and raised an impressive $100. Thank you Daniel for your generosity. His mother said that it gives their family a great sense of joy to know that they make a difference. Japhia Ramkumar
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