School Fundraising Clubs Help Support HCP
Fundraising clubs provide an avenue for high school and college students to raise money for a cause of their choice. A growing number of clubs across North America have chosen to fundraise on behalf of Himalayan Cataract Project. These clubs offer students a chance to learn more about how an organization works to impact a specific cause. It also provides experience in pitching potential donors and coming up with creative ways to raise funds.
Here are a few of the different fundraising clubs that support HCP:
Northern Highlands Regional High School
Northern Highlands Regional High School in Allendale, New Jersey. Students organize fundraising for HCP through a class called Honors Model United Nations, taught by Mr. Tom Witkowski. They fundraise through bake sales, school events, and through securing corporate donations. 2019 was the third year Mr. Witkowski’s classes have raised money for HCP. Last year, they raised a total of $5,991.69 for HCP!
“The class is titled Honors Model United Nations and the class is structured so that the first half of the year the teacher teaches us about global tragedies and and foreign current events, and the second half of the year, he splits us up into groups to address these causes,” Nick Dadekian said when describing the club.
Bergen County Academies
Members of the fundraising club at Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, New Jersey first learned about the Himalayan Cataract Project when it was featured on 60 Minutes. They decided to dedicate their time and efforts to raising funds for HCP because they felt the organization allowed them to see positive changes and radically improve the lives of people who suffer from cataracts.
“Cataract surgery is something we take for granted in the United States, but it is something that people elsewhere do not have the same opportunities [to receive]. We wanted to help make a noticeable difference in someone’s life through this organization,” Alex Flores said.
Winston Churchill High School
Reima Mannan, a student at Winston Churchill High School in Maryland, learned about HCP through National Public Radio (NPR). She was in the car listening to the NPR station and heard a story about HCP. Reima was immediately intrigued by how a 10-minute surgery could restore someone’s vision. Interested in learning more, she researched HCP and wanted to find a way to help those in need.
“I started my own chapter of the cause at my high school,” Mannan said. “I believe that HCP is redefining global healthcare for the good and am looking forward to continue advocating and fundraising for HCP. Over the last two years, the club has raised over $1,700 for HCP. As a club leader of the HCP student chapter, I find it most important that club and community members are educated on the topic, understanding that blindness severely impacts people and their families not only emotionally but also financially.”
McMaster University
The HCP – Hamilton Chapter, in Ontario, Canada, provides an opportunity to learn more about blindness in underserved communities. This allows McMaster University students and individuals in the Hamilton area to broaden their horizons while having a serious impact on the lives of those who cannot afford treatments. The chapter aims to stimulate interest in both the health sciences and political science fields as this issue is innately health related, but has become a crisis due to the economic disparities between developed and under-served communities.
“The Himalayan Cataract Project – Hamilton Chapter is unique. The Chapter is recognized as the first of its kind in Canada,” Chapter founder Neeloufar Grami, a McMaster University student said. “This Chapter helps bring keen interest to the health-related aspects of cataract surgeries that abolish blindness, but also the social aspects of cataract blindness.”
We greatly appreciate the support of these clubs and extend our gratitude to all the students and teachers for their interest in HCP and their commitment to curing needless blindness.
