South Philly Review

When her sixth-grade teacher started a fundraiser for earthquake survivors in Haiti, 11-year-old Crystal Camps decided to donate money from her own allowance.

“It was sad they got in an earthquake,” she said of the Jan. 12 7.0 magnitude disaster. “It was terrible, awful.”

Dolores Daniels, who has been teaching at the Walter G. Smith Elementary School, 1900 Wharton St., for 19 years, initiated a drive for the Haitian community during which students, their families and faculty surpassed her expectations by more than doubling the targeted $500. Daniels led the effort, but the school community’s outpouring helped the grand total skyrocket to $1,115, with an extra $10 donated past the Feb. 24 deadline.

“I’m so happy, I don’t know what to do,” she said of the first-time effort. “I’m busting with pride.”

After learning about the tragedy, Daniels said she felt “great concern for the [Haitian] community.”

She brought up the subject in class, and talked with the students about how they could make a difference.

“While discussing this terrible thing in the classroom, we decided almost immediately that we wanted to help,” she said. “Donations from the students seemed to be the best way.”

Daniels, who hails from Maryland but has lived on the 2000 block of Reed Street for 35 years, said she asked each student to donate $1 over the course of 10 days from their own pockets. The check is being sent to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.

“I felt that if we encouraged the students to use their allowance and snack money to contribute, then it would be more meaningful,” she said.

The teacher tried to explain the hardship in the Haitian community by relating the story directly to her students.

“I told them, there are children like you who have lost everything,” Daniels said.

For 10 school days, Daniels sent envelopes out to classrooms to collect donations from students and teachers. She even monitored the progress with that familiar goal-setting icon — a giant red wall thermometer.

Students found creative ways to gather every last cent they could for the drive.

“They’re really into this,” Daniels said. “Children came in with handfuls of pennies.”

One came in with 107 coins in a lunch bag, and another gave a second contribution because he made some extra cash shoveling snow, the teacher said. Students also scoured the floor for any precious loose change that would help that red line climb higher.

Sixth-grade Class President Xavier Brown, 11, said he recognized the flood of altruism the earthquake elicited from the world and thought the students should be a part of it.

“When we heard about it, we decided we should help. Everyone else was helping,” he said.

Siani Jackson, 12, said she spared some money from her piggy bank. Her explanation for wanting to help Haiti was simply, “because they need it.”