UNITY — A desire to do something to help citizens of Ukraine sparked the Unity Composite High School Activate team, led by an idea presented by co-chair Reid Martin, resulted in a month-long fundraiser.
The group of UCHS students enlisted help within the community, while taking on other efforts themselves in their initiative to raise money of the cause.
“I took this initiative because it felt like the right thing to do, and nobody else has taken on anything like this," Reid says. "In Unity we have a special connection with Ukraine because a lot of us can draw our heritage back there. I think we have to honour our heritage and help them out.”
The first course of action was to send an email through the Chamber of Commerce to inform businesses about their initiative. Soon after, Reid contacted businesses about the option to have a donation box at their location.
Reid has been actively posting on social media about upcoming events and updates, as well as a link to directly donate through the Red Cross through these UCHS actions.
“People can make donations at Red Apple, Rise + Grind, Ma & Me Bakery, Wiggles & Whiskers Pet Supply, What the Float, Unity AG Foods, and now Hollyhock’s Greenhouse. They can also make donations with our online donation portal at redcross.ca/UkraineCrisis/ActivateUCHS (QR code can be found at our donation locations). Tax receipts are emailed directly to donors if the online portal is used. Tax receipts are also available for physical donations of $20 and over by asking the store for more details.”
The school will be putting on some events like the culture fair (April 27, 12:16 to 1 p.m.) and the dessert auction (April 29, 12:16 to 1 p.m.). The culture fair has been a Grade 11 project before the pandemic and the team thought this was a great way to reinstate this well-received activity while raising money for their Ukraine relief efforts. The Grade 8 class dessert auction was also a pre-pandemic activity.
"The school has my back with this initiative," Reid says. "They have encouraged me the entire way and I would especially like to thank UCHS principal Mr. Aaron Melnyk for his enthusiasm and his support.”
Reid says when he set out he did not have a particular goal in mind knowing that any bit would help, however the way the numbers are looking right now, they are on track to reach $1,500. He hopes to raise $2,000 or more. As of April 18, the fundraiser was sitting just over the $1,100 mark.
“I could not have done this without many people. I would like to thank Nora Aldred for her guidance, Tammy Doerksen from the Canadian Red Cross for giving us a channel to donate, her immense help and resources, Carrie Poitras for helping me along the way with the jobs that Ii didn’t have time to do, and the town of Unity for their continued support,” says Reid.
The culture of UCHS has always been to be part of responsible citizenship, and that didn’t always mean activity just within the school. Monthly hat day and other initiatives are used for contributing to various community and provincial causes. The UCHS Activate team, through these actions, are demonstrating their understanding and actions in responsible citizenship.
