From Project to Plan… Three Immaculate Students Are Making a Difference

Abigail Morgan, Sydney Hall and Alexa Connors are inspired – inspired to make a difference on the other side of the world.
The three grade 6 Immaculate Conception students, along with the rest of their class, were given a project. As part of their religion and French studies, the class was assigned a project about someone who has made a difference in the world. The three girls chose Ryan Hreljac. Ryan Hreljac, when he was just six years old, decided to raise money to buy and build wells in countries where there is little access to clean water. By 2001, Ryan had established the Ryan’s Well Foundation which raises money for wells to be built in areas affected by the global water crisis. Through learning about Ryan and his organization, Abigail, Sydney and Alexa knew that just doing a project wasn’t enough. They wanted to start their own fundraising efforts to support this foundation. After getting the support from their teacher, Chantal Rancourt, they brainstormed ideas on how best to approach their project. Ms. Raincourt suggested they put together a video presentation to share with their class and their school, as well as invite other schools at the Sudbury Catholic Board to get involved. The students decided to present their video, as well as hold a Water Wednesday on December 14. The girls’ class helped out by creating posters to put all over the walls throughout the school reminding everybody as the day drew closer, and the whole school was encouraged to bring in their loose change, loonies and toonies. At the end of the day, the girls managed to raise over $210 in their first day of fundraising. But it doesn’t end there. Many other activities have been planned including a walkathon and a jumpathon, scheduled for the spring as they are determined to reach their goal of $2000 – which is the cost of one well. “We are asking everybody to do extra chores, save their allowances, anything to help out” quipped all three girls when asked about what their next immediate plans were. “We started this during the month of November, and November’s virtue of the month is Justice, so we thought it was really important that we did something that helped with justice in the world.”
Chantal Rancourt, knew that they were serious about this right at the beginning of the project. “These girls approached me and began right away to discuss a plan – I knew that this was something that they were extremely passionate about.” Rancourt stated. “ I am so proud of their efforts, and their encouragement of others to support this cause. Their actions are truly reflective of the virtue of Justice, and they are now inspiring others to make a difference too. We are all looking forward to seeing what their next steps will be!”