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Kindness reigns at Moreland Arts and Health Sciences Magnet School in West St. Paul with the third annual Raise Craze fundraiser. Instead of selling products, students take on community service projects and acts of kindness to raise money.
“Our students at Moreland have such big hearts,” said Moreland Principal Rob Sahli. “They are so caring and kind with their classmates each and every day. This project, and what I’m most excited about, is to see just how big of an impact we can have on our West St. Paul community. We have both an opportunity and responsibility to be an active member of our community.”
Last year: The 2023 effort raised $19,735 with 2,700 acts of kindness.
This year’s goal: They hope to raise $20,000, but they’re focusing on getting 150 students officially registered and performing 2,500 acts of kindness. The money will provide the last bit to fund Moreland’s mural project and go to support their residency programming and free events.
Mural progress: Greta McLain of Good Space Murals has worked with Moreland students, staff, and families to get input and is currently finalizing concepts. An in-school and community painting day will happen in April with the final mural installed by the end of the school year.
Watch: Check out Moreland’s Raise Craze video as Sahli and several students explain how it works.
Kindness at Work
Some of the kindness events include:
- Wall hangings: During conferences, families can participate in an art project that will be donated to Wentworth Library.
- Playground party: On Saturday March 2, Moreland is hosting a Winter Friendship Playground Party where students are encouraged to invite a friend. They’ll invite Garlough students to join them and hand out bracelets to new friends.
- Family night: On Thursday, March 7, Moreland will host a Family Service Night with multiple service projects including packing essentials bags with the Residents of Color Collective (ROCC), tissue flowers for nursing home residents, writing kind notes with the Two Rivers High School Key Club, and decorating Oxendale’s grocery bags.
- Cereal boxes: On Wednesday, March 13, they’ll line the hallway with cereal boxes to be donated to Neighbors, Inc.
Impact
“Moreland students are some of the kindest students I have had the opportunity to work with in my educational career,” said Sahli, who took over as principal this year. “They are thoughtful, patient, reflective, and kind. I believe the support our students receive at home and in the classroom allow our students to flourish as some of the very kindest students you will find.”
How to Donate
The effort runs February 22 through March 14. You can participate by supporting any of the above events or donating online to the general Moreland fund. Each student can also set up their own fundraising page and share individual links or QR codes.
Local businesses interested in partnering can contact the Moreland PTA.
March 18, 2024 Update: Reaching Goals
Moreland’s kindness fundraiser reached all of their goals! With more than 150 students registered, they performed a combined 2,696 acts of kindness and raised $20,249.
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