Refugee crisis: TDSB launches fundraising appeal

The Toronto District School Board has launched a board-wide fundraising initiativeon behalf of the Canadian Red Cross to help deal with the ongoing refugee crisis.

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"We have a responsibility to educate our students about global issues, and to also encourage them to use that knowledge to take positive action,"TDSBtrusteeAusmaMaliksaid in a press release.

The TDSB is encouraging its250,000 students and more than 36,000 staff to participate in the fundraising effort. The federal government is matching all donations to the CanadianRed Cross until Dec. 15. Donations can be made online.

'Just as good a life as us'

The school boardannounced the tdsbCARES initiative Tuesday morning at theDewson Street Public School, which has launched its own fundraiser.

Dewson, which is located near College Street and Ossington Avenue,is trying to raise $30,000 to sponsor a refugee, and has challenged 1,000 more schools to do the same.

"We have the responsibility to care about [refugees]andmake sure they have just as good a life as us," Leo DeLuca, aGrade 6 student at Dewson,told CBC News.