A few words from Pledge to Humanity:
I like to think of Pledge to Humanity as a bridge between the children in our community and those in need here and all around the world.a
Equally important is the gift of empowering our children to share of themselves and understand the true meaning of giving and personally making a difference in the lives of others.
Sincerely, Gaby
Holiday Meal Bags at Rancho Romero Elementary
On Tuesday evening, 11/14, the 5th grade boys of Rancho Empower came together for an evening of giving at Rancho Romero Elementary. For more than a week, families were asked to donate non-perishable food items and Safeway gift cards to help complete a holiday meal bag for families in need at our sister school, Coronado Elementary, located in Richmond. Families also brought in used coats, new underwear, new socks and new t-shirts to be donated to North Bay fire victims. The Rancho community came out strong, yet again.
Wendy Higgins met with the boys before the event began to sort out all of the donations that we had already received and to stage our multi-purpose room for the event. The boys helped fill bags, write cheerful holiday notes to families as well as help Wendy to fill up her car with the meal bags. The boys also helped fill bags with the clothing we received. The goal was to fill 35 meal bags and we filled over 45 bags, not to mention $800 in Safeway gift cards. The bags consisted of everything to make a Thanksgiving meal – gift card for the turkey, canned vegetables, macaroni, potatoes, stuffing, gravy and more. We even had extra food that was delivered to a local food bank by a parent who is a fireman. Empower learned from this event that there are children who don’t always have access to a warm meal, even during the holidays, and it is always important to help however we can.
Lemonade Stand Fundraiser for North Bay Fire Relief
Last week, Michelle had a brief meeting with the boys to pass out their PTH shirts and do a quick recap of the meaning behind PTH and what the activity was for the day. We had 3 lemonade stands at La Serena, Las Trampas and Stone Valley West with lemonade, waters and baked goods available. 3 boys helped at each station, using their signs and interpersonal skills when stopping passersby to inform them of our goal.
The items did not have a price linked to them, rather an “open donation.” The boys experienced the generosity of our community from people donating a few dollars to a $100 bill, even receiving a handful gift cards. The boys all learned some important lessons with their lemonade stand – they had to focus, engage with foot traffic and cars passing by, speak to strangers and explain what their cause was, they even had to hear “no” a few times and of course, give thanks to our wonderful community.
At the end of the sale, the boys did a quick recap at Hemme Park. The grand total – over $1200 (which included some gift cards.) Wow! The boys voted to use the money to purchase gift cards from Target, so families receiving them could either purchase clothing, food or other necessities. The gift cards will be sent to a church in Sebastopol, which has been housing displaced families from the North Bay Fires.
Kickoff Meeting
We had an incredible first meeting! Thanks to all the amazing kids who came to kick off their new Pledge to Humanity Ambassadors group!
