Coins rattled in plastic baby bottles as Small Change Club members scouted the halls in search of students’ spare change.  The money, gathered from giving students and teachers, was collected, counted and sent to an organization called Harambee, which benefits rural parts of Africa, including orphanages and clinics. Schools have also received needed school supplies as well as training for their   teachers.

The club was started by Kelsey Streiff, senior, when she returned from Kenya after volunteering in  orphnages over the summer. To her, it is not only about raising the money.

“It’s more just the helping part,” Streiff said.

Other members of the Small Change Club are passionate about being involved and are anxious to continue working with the club to help those who are not as privileged.

“I really wanted to help out the children who are in need,” Graham Lumley, sophomore, said.

Others took advantage of the new club to achieve something they have always wanted to.

“Since I was little I have always wanted to do volunteer work in Africa,” Alyssa Cockerline, junior, said. “When I saw the fliers for the club I thought the club would be a great opportunity to do what I could to help others in Africa from home.”

Elisa Steele, sophomore, originally joined because it was a convenient way to help others along with her friends, but she has since gotten more involved in raising money for the charitable club.

“I probably collected around $20,” Steele said. “It’s great we found these organizations to donate to.”

All together, members of the club collected $350 from the baby bottle fundrasier and another $120 from selling candy canes before winter break.  The money is donated to an organization that travels and distributes money based on the specific needs of that community.

“I think the club is amazing and supports very needy causes. I am very proud to be a part of it,” Cockerline said.

The 21-member club is very interested in  helping not only their own community, but helping communities of people thousands of miles away, as well.

“More people joining the club would make it better,” Steele said.

Cockerline agrees that getting more people involvedin the club would help it better benefit others.

“The club would be more successful if people were more aware of what we are doing. Small Change Club is a really great cause,” Cockerline said.

HARAMBEE INTERNATIONAL

Harambee Africa International’s goal is to promote education in Africa, including spreading knowledge of African culture to many other parts of the world.

They have completed a total of 33 different projects and currently have 15 set up in different countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Ivory Coast, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan and Uganda. These countries have received a total of $1,847,856 in donations.

In Swahili, the word “harambee” means “all for one,” a word that is said when everyone works together for a common goal, such as building a school, church or helping a family in need.

Contributions to Harambee are collected through Small Change Club fundraisers and additional donations can be made online. More information about ongoing projects and how to donate through checks or bank transfers can be found at harambee-africa.org.