“I like the leaf raking part more than the donating part.”
Myles is a fourth grader at Living Stones Academy, a Christian School in Grand Rapids’ Fulton Neighborhood.
It’s 260 student enrollment includes pupils from 22 countries.
A sliding scale makes tuition affordable for all families.
It’s supplemented through a student-led fundraiser called Circle Up.
“Students go around to their neighbors and tell them about our mission to build a more inclusive and diverse and socio-economically inclusive for students who want to access Christian education “
Ashlee Eiland is Head of School.
Fifth grader Brooklyn says creativity attracts contributions.
“Me and one of my friends, Claire, we did a video for Circle Up that explains how it works and that got us a lot of donors.”
One student turned walnuts into tiny owls to sell.
But the part Myles likes best…
“You gather up a group of people, and you hit four or five houses and just rake leaves until their yard is completely clean, well, mostly clean.”
When the fundraising ends, students thank neighbors and then head out into the community raking donor’s leaves – and - the leaves of residents unable to rake.
This year Grand Rapids Public Works volunteers raked leaves with students.
“It takes all of us to make our city and our world better, so to not count the kids out, right?
They have a lot to bring in the way of their creativity and their gifts.”
Students shattered their $60,000 goal, raising more than $80,000.
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