Denver Students Raise Money For Afghan Families Resettling In Metro Area
DENVER (CBS4) - Students in one classroom at Denver Public Schools have not only studied about the country of Afghanistan and the current conflict happening on the other side of the world, the 2nd grade children are working together to fundraise money and supplies for refugees moving to the Denver metro area. They plan to stock up at least two homes for families when they arrive to Colorado in the months ahead.
"They can't live there anymore, and they don't have a lot of supplies," one student said on Monday.
The Denver Center for International Studies at Fairmont School just had a festival on its campus allowing classrooms to study different countries around the globe. Mollie Kritzer's students looked at Afghanistan, learning about the food, culture, the recent impact of the U.S. war there, and how they can help families trying to escape the country.
"I'm instilling these values in them, and they're learning to be little activists, and I can't wait to see what they do," she told CBS4 inside her classroom.
Students expressed an interest in helping families and first suggested writing letters to the refugees. She then encouraged them to do more with help from parents and the African Community Center, a nonprofit they have partnered with before on school initiatives.
"The Afghanistan people are coming here because it's like unsafe so they have to come here," another student said.
The girls in the classroom have also spent time to appreciate how those just like them in Afghanistan do not have it so easy when it comes to their education. Not only must they hide, they travel far along with teachers to reach their classrooms.
"They have to go to secret school," one girl in the class said.
The Nest a Home fundraiser will take donations purchased on their Amazon gift list or money sent to their Venmo account, @DCISatFairmontPTA. Donations can also be made directly to the African Community Center. Kritzer says this project and the lessons that come with it are part of why she has stayed with DCIS at Fairmont.
"It's really unexplainable, this is my biggest passion and it's why I teach at this school," she said.
Students will not only help to supply these families with the items they need to start their new lives in Colorado, they will also be part of the team to help them physically move in when their homes are ready.
"They can die or they could probably get hurt. We just want to help them and care about them," another student said.
