Fourth graders learn true meaning of compassion.

It’s a beautiful thing when learning can encompass compassion. As part of our Compassion project this spring, our students learned how to research a topic, considered options for raising money, actually made and sold products to raise money, and then did volunteer work at one of the charities that they raised money for!

In the beginning, the students picked areas of interest, such as animal welfare, world hunger, homelessness, and global warming that they wished they could make better. The fourth graders then researched and chose what they considered the best charities in their areas of interest. They performed side by side comparisons and looked at mission statements, percentage of funds that go directly to their cause, and financial data.

In order to raise money, they held a “Make Sale” where they made items such as bracelets, key chains, book marks, and coloring books to sell at school lunches.

Each student chose their favorite charity and the class voted. Our students decided that they wanted to donate $150.00 to Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) and $150.00 to Paws Animal Shelter in Chicago.

We took a field trip to Feed My Starving Children in Aurora on Tuesday and hand-packed meals specifically formulated for malnourished children.  FMSC then ships these meals to 70 countries around the world. Prior to packing the food, we saw a short film about malnutrition and the children who benefit from the food we were packing. Our students worked diligently for a few hours: measuring, weighing, sealing and packing boxes. They then presented the $150.00 check to FMSC.

The students returned to Goodrich tired but excited that they had worked so hard for such a great cause. We learned about research, we learned about fundraising, and most of all, we learned about compassion. We have all been smiling ever since!