NLA x GISW Fundraiser 2021
This year, the SMV is organizing a fundraiser for Northern Lights Aid (NLA), an NGO located in Kavala, Greece focused on supporting refugees in the area. Pauline Fritz, a GISW alumna (Class of 2017), currently serves on the board of the organization and has worked with us to create the fundraiser. The initiative is open to all members of the school community and the money will be raised via a GoFundMe created specifically for this initiative. We are aiming to raise 2500€ to support the NLA and the great work they do. This money can be used in various areas of the organization including healthcare, medicine, and materials for infants in their baby supply store.
From the 31st of May to the 4th of June, individuals or groups will set daily athletic goals they want to achieve. This can be anywhere from taking a certain number of steps to learning a new trick in your favorite sport every day. Participants can then receive support through sponsors or donate themselves as motivation to achieve these goals. Those who wish to donate can do so by clicking on this GoFundMe link. Here you can select a class that you want to support from the drop-down menu or you can enter the name of an individual in the comment field that you will find at the bottom of the receipt you will get by email. As you choose the amount you would like to donate, please be aware that the donation amount you enter is in Euros. Donations can be made daily or accumulated at the end of the week, as depends on what the goal is and what is easiest for the sponsor. Goals can be as creative as one would like. The point is to have fun and work together as a school community. Participants can share their experiences and achievements through the school’s social media by sending pictures or other images to Ms. Mahious (bmahious@giswashington.org) throughout the week.
The fundraiser will be incorporated into p.e. classes of the upper school this week to give students the opportunity to learn about the fundraiser as well as gain an understanding of what kind of goals they can set that are both challenging and achievable. It also gives students a chance to share their goals or even set group challenges with their friends.
To help motivate participants, we have added a competitive aspect. The class from each grade level (Unter-, Mittel-, Oberstufe) that raises the most money will receive a prize. By Monday, each class will have its own team on the GoFundMe site. If you want to sponsor a student and support them in the competition, you select their class under “referred by” when donating. Additionally, individual participants can submit their challenge for the week to the email (nla.contest@giswashington.org) by the 5th of June, and potentially win an award for setting either the most challenging or creative goal.
A big Thank you! goes out to all teachers, staff, parents, guardians and current as well as former students participating and sponsoring during the fundraiser. Additionally, we want to thank Pauline for reaching out to us with this opportunity to do good and helping to establish the initiative, as well as Theresa Sheldon and the SMV Fundraising Committee for organizing it.
For more information about the NLA, you can visit their website at http://www.northernlightsaid.org.
If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Ms. Lair Ferrari (mlairferrari@giswashington.org).
Sincerely,
Paul von Redecker Natalie Pohlmann
Student Body President Deputy Student Body President