A Tasty Fundraiser Helps To Nourish A Connected Future

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Students at Iona Prep are making the world a better place — one cupcake at a time.

Iona Prep’s Human Rights Club at the Upper School has raised more than $8,000 in recent years in an effort to support the poor and underprivileged communities around the globe. Through various fundraising drives, including an annual "Beyond Borders Bake Sale," the club has been able to support 20 students’ tuition and uniform fees at St. Mary’s Primary School in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

The school has also underwritten the cost of 20 iPads, helped purchase desks and supported the renovation of a classroom. The most recent round of donations provided material for a robotics class and a laptop, as well as food for a lunch program.

The club has been assisting the school in South Africa since 2017.

The year prior, Iona Prep's Human Rights Club co-moderator and English teacher Patricia Gray attended the inaugural Edmund Rice Education Beyond Borders conference. The goal of the first-of-its-kind summit was for Edmund Rice-affiliated schools to literally go beyond borders and connect with one another. Though not in the Edmund Rice network, Iona officials believed St. Mary’s to be guided by shared values, which led to a meeting with St. Mary's Principal Victor Sekakatlela and Gray on the first day of the conference in New Delhi.

The relationship forged that day has continued and grown ever since.

“This is what it means to be part of our Edmund Rice family,” Gray said. “This is what our students and their families have done. Iona Prep has had a profound impact on the lives of many St. Mary’s students.”