# Southwest: Students Raise Funds for Child in Haiti

During the fall, Seth Dorrell, an executive director of Economic and Community Development for Southwest Community Development Corp., spoke with students from The New Start Family Resource Center’s After School regarding his intent to volunteer in Haiti. ![](https://phillyn-media.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/26021605/sp1105southwestsethandchildren-150x150.jpg)Seth Dorrell stands with the elementary students who raised $200 to sponsor a child in Haiti. The children demonstrated enthusiasm when learning about a different culture and ways children grow up in the developing world. They asked questions after the presentation for nearly an hour about life in Haiti, and they laughed at the thought of children not really wearing clothes until they are 3 or 4 years old. In addition, they showed a hint of surprise when learning that there was no government-funded schooling and the parents paid for private schools. However, after the presentation, the students came up with a project as part of their "project- based learning" curriculum. They decided to host a change drive which ended this month. Kindergarten through fourth-grade students collected dollars and change to sponsor a Haitian child in Ferrier, Haiti. This village is located in the northeastern part of Haiti, with approximately 15,000 people living rurally. The sponsorship, through Mission Waco, allows a child to attend school, pays for books and supplies, and feeds the child lunch every day during the school year. Additional funds raised also pay for the $2-a-brick campaign, which helps build additional rooms on the school.