FUHSD started the Los Angeles Fire Relief fundraiser in response to the recent Los Angeles fires. The drive aims to raise money, collect clothes and accumulate other items the fires’ victims may need, leadership teacher Hector Almendarez said.
“I know a lot of folks that either have family down there or friends that go to LA often,” Almendarez said. “I feel like this is something people have been really receptive to because it’s been in the news everywhere.”
This fundraiser was pushed forward by ASB students around the district. They came up with the idea, put in a lot of effort to get district approval and spread the word about the fundraiser, Almendarez said.
“The fundraiser couldn’t have happened without the students being very adamant about it,” Almendarez said. “If the students want it to happen, they can make it happen. Putting in the work and the effort to make it happen is where it starts.”
As one of the leads in pushing the fundraiser to the district, ASB secretary, junior Vincent Wang said he was approached by a fellow student leader from FHS, his partner for the fundraising project, with the initial idea. Together, Wang said they led the effort in getting district approval from associate superintendent Trudy Gross and spreading it around the district.
The original thought came from the realization that people had a lot of old clothes which could be used to make a difference for people affected by the fires, Wang said.
“As ASB, one of our main jobs is to serve our student community and the people who elected us or go to our school,” Wang said. “Another big part of [the job] should be focused on not just serving our school and our community, but the people around us and outside of FUHSD who are in need and who we have the means to support.”
Contrary to the difficulty of gaining approval for the fundraiser from the district, getting students to donate was surprisingly easy, ASB president, senior Sophie Park said.
“During fourth period, our entire ASB class went out to different classrooms in groups to present about the [event],” Park said. “Person-to-person contact really makes a difference, instead of spreading something like an online flyer.”
The results of the donation were extremely successful, Wang said. The fundraiser started a friendly competition between schools in the district, all fighting to have the most donations, Wang added.
“[The fundraiser] serves as a testament to the strength of the community when we can come together and help a cause,” Wang said.
In addition to monetary donations, which the district has succeeded in raising across all five FUHSD schools, there were several clothing contributions, Wang said. From HHS alone, around $1,000 worth of clothing items were collected and $3,090 in monetary donations were donated from the district as a whole, Wang said.
“In terms of clothing donations, HHS is very clearly in the lead,” Wang said. “We’ve raised a lot and [received] a lot of donations, far more than all the other schools. I’m really proud of that for our community.”
Initially, Wang said he was unsure of the results the event would yield. However, with help and support from the staff, students and parents, Wang said the fundraiser was a success.
“I didn’t know what to expect when we were first doing this,” Wang said. “We were expecting some [donations], but honestly, I’m blown away by how much money and clothing we were able to raise.”
