“Feel the Cold, Share the Warm” at Clearpoint Elementary
by Helena Tsitouras
As temperatures drop, a special team from Clearpoint Elementary School stepped into action to ensure there would be fewer cold people on the streets this winter season. ‘Feel the Cold, Share the Warm’ is an entrepreneurship project that took place at Clearpoint Elementary School throughout November that encouraged the school’s community to donate winter items such as coats, hats, scarves, gloves and much more. Integration Aid Della Graham was approached by the Montreal Lakeshore University Women’s Club (MLUWC), a not-for-profit organization, to collect warm clothing for the homeless population. Graham had partnered with them in the past and jumped at the opportunity to do so again.
Graham reached out to a few of her students who she knew would be eager to lend a helping hand to those in need. Her team slowly grew to a team of 10 wonderful students: Silen S, Beckett C, Zofia P, Emma F, Emma T, Freya P, Reagan C, Zoë C, Mikayla Y, and Nour E.T. She has had a long-standing relationship with these girls as many of them she had met for the first time when they were young students at Clearpoint Elementary.
The students met with Graham during recess and school hours to work on their project. They created posters and presented to different classrooms in the school to raise awareness for their cause. A few of the girls attended the General Meeting of the MLUWC at Cedar Park United Church to speak about their clothing drive.
Throughout November, Graham and her team proudly watched as the warm clothes piled into their school. “When I saw the clothes, I was like wow, we actually got quite a lot and I guess that shows people’s interest in helping people. I’m glad to see that we can show how much people care and how much we care,” explained Freya P. “I was very proud because we’re doing something good for our community and people who really need this,” added Beckett C.
The clothing drive resulted in great success. Graham and her students are already looking forward to future projects. “It makes me happy to know that people are going to feel more secure than they were before because they have their clothing. We still have a bunch of things that we need to do to help these people, but we had to start with clothing,” stated Zoë C. With passion and excitement, Clearpoint’s benevolent team will continue to give back to those in need.
Bottom row from left: Zoë C, Emma F, Beckett C, Emma T, and Freya P.
3 Responses
It was wonderful to partner with Della and Clearpoint students. Thank you also to Mr. Estock for his support. Maria
Terrific work!!
So proud of you all. Great leadership!