High school class helps local organization help others during pandemic

A high school class in Kings County, N.S., is using its entrepreneurship course tohelp a local charitable organization that has been overwhelmed by families in need due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We wanted to do what we could to help them out, so we're raising money here and will donate what we can,"said Tyler Croteau, a Grade 11 student at Northeast Kings Education Centre in Canning.

The entrepreneurship class is selling clothing with customized COVID designs.

The funds raised through sales will go to the Open Arms Outreach Centre in Kentville, a non-profit organization that helps people struggling to make ends meet. It assists with emergency shelter, housing and food supports.

"To find out that this year a group of students are working on an initiative to support us, it's very humbling," said Open Arms executive director John Andrew. "For me, it signals hope and I know there are a lot of youth out there who have a strong commitment to helping people in their own community."

The schoolhad a COVID scare of itsownalmost two months ago with two COVID-19 cases. The school was closed for three days for cleaning before students returned.

But that didn't slow down planning for the fundraising effort.

"We're helping people out who really need it," said Ahrun Havercroft, a Grade 12 student from Sheffield Mills."We thought that would be a great thing to do and it would also be a great learning experience for everybody in our class."

It isn't the first fundraising effort by the class this school year.

Before Christmas, itheld an event at the local drive-in theatre in Cambridge to benefit Chrysalis House, an organization that provides shelter and outreach services for women and children in the area.

So far,the clothing fundraiser has raised just over $1,100 in only a few weeks.

"Everybody has sort of taken on different roles," said NKEC teacher Dale Sanford, who teaches the entrepreneurship course. "The students have been awesome around the whole social piece with this and entrepreneurship is such an important skill for them to have."

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