Laguna Beach School Raises Funds, Create Care Packages for Homeless

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — Top of the World Elementary School students enrolled in the Community Learning Center (CLC) partnered with the Illumination Foundation to help raise funds and provide basic necessities to the homeless. The foundation provides targeted services for homeless adults, families and children in Orange County to break and prevent the cycle of homelessness.

Students in grades one through four at the CLC raised $1600 by selling handmade products at the Laguna Beach Farmer’s Market.

“Students brainstormed ideas on how to raise money,” said Kevin Nguyen, teacher at Top of the World Elementary. “Working off their idea for a lemonade stand, they worked with their parents to create peppermint scrub, lavender bath salts, hand-dyed kitchen towels and succulents to sell at the Laguna Beach Farmer’s Market.”

Using their earnings, students, parents and staff got together at the CLC Giving Party to write cards, create 42 care packages and made 20 fleece blankets for homeless clients in recuperative care at the Illumination Foundation after hospitalization.

“The Giving Party makes me feel good because other people will feel safer and warmer since it’s so cold outside,” said Callum Murray, second grader at TOW. “They usually get out of the hospital without anything to keep them warm. We hope they feel better with the blankets that we made.”

The Giving Party is an annual community service tradition where the students and parents of the CLC make or assemble gifts for local charities.

“Every year we sell something, raise money and buy things the charity needs most,” said Declan Murray, fourth grader at TOW. “Then we get together and create things like the fleece blankets to help the charity or other people in our community.”

Several former parents of CLC students and former students stopped by the booth at the Farmer's Market and commented on how the community service component of the CLC curriculum made an impact in their lives, even years later.

Last year, children earned money doing chores or holding lemonade stands to buy t-shirts for children at Door of Faith Orphanage in Mexico (dofo.org). They also donated bags of Lego bricks to the orphanage when several families visited the orphanage. For many years, students and parents have also prepared baskets of supplies for residents at the Friendship Shelter.

“We do this every year because our kids learn important lessons about caring for others, earning their own money, and approaching the public to ask for their support,” said Nguyen.

“The Giving Party and community service events are some of my favorite parts of the CLC program,” said Jennifer Murray, parent. “I feel it is important to empower the students with the awareness and compassion needed to work hard to help those less fortunate than themselves."

To learn more about the Illumination Foundation, please visit: www.ifhomeless.org

Laguna Beach Unified School District Photo

Parents pictured: Deborah Johansson, Magnus Johansson, Nicole McMann,Hendricks McMann, Callum Murray, Laura Sauers, Max Sauers, Gerri Machin