Saskatoon students donate graduation money to Fort McMurray relief

Saskatoon King George Grade 8 students are giving up their graduation party to help Fort McMurray.

The class of 10 raised $1,000 from their teachers by auctioning their skills, such as cleaning the school yard or reading and playing with younger kids at recess. The money was originally for their after graduation party, but once the students learned about the northern Alberta fires and the evacuations, they decided to donate everything to the Red Cross instead.
 
“You can do something twice but giving back can only happen once. So it’s better to give back than to do something for yourself,” Taylor Hanemaayer, 14, said, noting his class can always raise more money for their graduation in the future.
 
Karly Lauzon, 13, auctioned off her skills as a cleaner and homework helper. She said she was inspired to donate after seeing the fires devastation.
 
“If that was us, people would have donated to us, so we wanted to give back,” she said.
 
Saskatchewan Red Cross development manager Richard Kies was there to accept the donation.
 
“It’s very inspiring,” he said. “Not only are they giving that would be used for their after grad but they’re also donating of their own time and skills and that’s very inspiring for someone who works for a volunteer driven organization.”
 
The Canadian Red Cross announced Friday that more than $30 million has been raised nationally for the Fort McMurray relief effort. To date the Red Cross has registered 14,000 families that need help.