Student reporters initiate fundraising effort to support a special-needs school in South Africa
April 2015…Fourth-grade student reporters at Highland Park Elementary School recently interviewed psychologist and radio personality Dan Gottlieb for our fourth book, Leading Healthy Change In Our Communities 2015.
During the course of that interview, the students learned about a special-needs school in South Africa that Dr. Gottlieb supports by donating royalties from sales of his most recent book, The Wisdom We’re Born With. In particular, the reporters learned that many of the children at this school are there because their parents could not take care of them. This fact really resonated with the reporters and so they wanted to help too.
As a result, the students have organized various fundraising efforts throughout their school and community to raise funds for the Khulani Special School—an initiative they are calling “Kindness for Khulani.” And Dr. Gottlieb has told the students that he will match whatever funds they raise.
“We are all so proud of these student reporters for their ‘acts of kindness’,” said Marian Uhlman, director of Healthy NewsWorks. “This year, through our special topic Think, Don’t Fight, the students in our schools have been learning about how to have empathy for others. The fact that these reporters took it upon themselves to initiate a fundraising drive to help other children shows that our program is having an impact.”
Watch this video to see more of Dr. Gottlieb’s visit to Highland Park Elementary School and how the students plan to raise money for the Khulani Special School.
