www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, January 9, 2015 | 14 IRHS students fundraising so they can help in Nicaragua by Nathan Howes Special to the Beaver A group of Iroquois Ridge High School (IRHS) students are going overseas this March to get an education in philanthropy. On March Break, 12 students and two teachers will work with Me to We to build sustainable facilities and communities in Nicaragua. They will be staying in Managua, the country's capital city, for seven days. Organized by IRHS' Interact Club, it's the school's sixth trek as part of its annual global initiative -- others included Costa Rica, Guatemala and Dominican Republic. According to Me to We's website, the students will work on grassroots projects in rural communities to improve the lives of children. They will also learn about conservation and rural development challenges. Grade 11 student Vittoria Rago said helping those in need in another country is eye-opening, as it "shows you how much you have." "We all want to go and give back what we've already been blessed with, that other people, less fortunate, haven't grown up with," said Rago. Grade 11 student Emily Chu noted they will be lending a hand in the construction and/or repairs of schools, houses and water and wastemanagement systems. "We're going to be working on whatever they need at that time," said Chu. In the past, the club has worked with other Grade 10 and 11 students from Iroquois Ridge High School will be travelling to Nicaragua on March Break on a Me to We assistance project. | photo by Justin Greaves Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) organizations to coordinate service trips, but for the 2015 outing, it wanted to "try something new," Chu said, noting Me to We is wellrespected and there are more than 60 Interact Club members. The students had a few different destinations to choose from with Me to We and selected Nicaragua as going to an unfamiliar country is "always a good idea to gain new experiences," Chu said. The 15-year-old said she looks forward to interacting with the Nicaragua residents, particularly the children, because "there is so much that is different between our lives, but also so much that is similar in what we value." Rago echoed Chu's wishes to connect with them and build relationships with "other people from other cultures, seeing how the values differ and are similar," she said. To cover the travel costs of its upcoming trip, Iroquois Ridge students held a silent auction at Oakville Arts Studio recently, raising almost $1,500 for the trek's $3,500 per-person fee. Local artist Ixchel Suarez donated her Sixth Line studio as the venue. "Because all of these items are donated, there's really no cost to what we're doing. Any amount we got is really amazing," said Chu. "It was really generous of Ixchel to donate her studio to hold the silent auction. It was amazing because we had to look for locations and she came up with this suggestion." The school also held a chocolate fundraiser, raising $1,100, and is looking to collect more funds through selling magazine subscriptions, hosting a Valentine's Day youth dance in 2015 and through a deal with Buffalo Wild Wings where it will donate 15 per cent of its revenue one night to IRHS. "We advertise a promo code and tell people to go eat on that specific night. Then they tell the servers the promo code for that night and we get 15 per cent of the profits back," said Grade 10 student Jennifer Kong. IRHS teacher Kathryn Patterson credits Grade 11 student Adham Assaad with lending support to the upcoming trip, even though he won't be going. "He's been invaluable to helping this team. He's not in the Interact Club either, he just came out to say, `I want to help,'" said Patterson. "We really want to support our own students to travel the world to do good work. You see a school stand behind students when they need to go and do something really amazing." An online auction has been set up for the remaining items not sold at the silent auction. To view and bid on the articles for sale, visit http://goo.gl/forms/PS3rRW6b6y. I feel it in my feet! n ow o f f e r i n g P h ys i ot h e r a P y o s t eo Pat h y at h l e t i c t h e r a P y oakvillesportsmedicinecentre.ca 905 337 8455 KyBoots will help you with.... · Back Pain · Improving circulation · Knee pain · Strengthening muscles · Foot conditions · Improving posture The Sw i MVL LEASING LIMITED LEASE ANY YEAR, MAKE, OR MODEL 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe LTZ 2012 Land Rover LR4 $ 1064 SOUTH SERVICE RD. E, OAKVILLE air-cush i ss shoe on w ww om . k y b o o t.c Enjoy a FREE Kyboot walking test, at the Medicine Shoppe on Lakeshore Rd. East Pharmacist/Owner Richard Price 64,900 $ +HST & Lic 54,900 +HST & Lic 267 Lakeshore Rd. E., Oakville Mon.-Fri. 10-6, Sat. 9-1 A Trusted name in Oakville for over 20 years! www.kybun.com 14,294 kms 48,909 kms 905.842.2770 905-849-6995 · www.MVL.ca