A local fifth-grader is helping Haiti rebuild, one stone at a time.
Lexi Caruthers, 10, of Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary, was so touched by the earthquake disaster in Haiti that she spent last weekend gathering about 200 small rocks. She painted them with colored wax, then sold her artwork from a stand in front of her house in Encinitas.
She was asking 25 cents to 50 cents per rock, many decorated with hearts to symbolize love for the Haitians, but some passers-by donated even more. One woman en route to a Haiti fundraiser acquired Lexi’s art to show everyone that kids are helping, too.
Lexi, knowing that every little bit helps, was hoping to raise $10. So she was ecstatic when she passed the $100 mark. At last tally, her proceeds had earned $124.81, which will be donated to UNICEF for Haiti relief. However, she plans to sell even more, rain permitting…
Another fundraising effort involved a student robotics team. Members enlisted sponsors for scores they made at a regional robot baseball tournament last weekend at Madison High School. Einstein’s Daughters, comprised of six students from four area high schools, raised $1,500 which they’re donating to a Haiti orphanage. The all-girl team won the 2009 FIRST Robotics world competition, a brainchild of inventor Dean Kamen.
White Gold
When two Encinitas high school seniors saw the Got Milk? campaign’s slapstick “Battle of Milkquarious,” rock opera video on YouTube, they noticed a contest invitation from the California Milk Processor Board to recreate one of its scenes. Cash prizes go to the winner’s high school arts program, so Alex Finden and Zach Simmons ran the idea by their San Dieguito Academy TV production teacher, Eric Neubauer, and Principal Michael Grove, who approved their project. Little did they realize it would lead to the evacuation of about 400 students on a recent Saturday while they were taking Scholastic Aptitude Tests.
The students chose the opera’s opening scene — an armed milk heist in the singing Milkquarious leader’s white pad. Finding a child’s wading pool (in December) to sub for a hot tub, spraypainting it white, then figuring out how to fill it cost effectively with milk (powdered milk did the trick), was the initial challenge, says Elizabeth Finden, Alex’s mom.
On the first day of filming at school, the students used a fog machine for a “steam” effect over their milk-filled hot tub and promptly set off a smoke alarm. Student test takers filed out, then firefighters arrived and shut down the film production. Undaunted, the young producers, with the help of several music students, completed their video, without fog, the next weekend.
Alex and Zach were elated to learn that their video is among 10 finalists, winning $2,500 for their school. Now they’re hoping a public online vote at the Web site: www.milkquarious.com will earn their school the $20,000 first prize or $10,000 second prize. Voting closes at 10 a.m. tomorrow.
Humor helps…
Flooding has been so bad on the grounds of Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe this week that employees began referring to their inundated “barking lot” as Lake Helen…
Last Saturday evening Father Steve Callahan, pastor of St. Brigid Church in Pacific Beach, was called in to celebrate a Mass for the New York Jets at the Hyatt hotel where the team was staying. Ever since the Chargers’ loss Sunday, his St. Brigid parishioners have been giving him grief about praying with the enemy.
“My response has been that I prayed for two things,” says Callahan, “that all players be kept safe and free from significant injury (heard and answered), and that all players perform to the best of their ability (heard by the Jets, ignored by the Chargers).”
via Girl’s fundraising artwork for Haiti relief really rocks – SignOnSanDiego.com.