Fundraiser seems to have become the buzz word of this spring.
Throughout the region, fundraisers of all shapes and sizes have been held, or are currently in the works, to assist the rebuilding projects in both Haiti and Chile, two countries hit hard by earthquakes in the past few months.
People have shaved their heads, cooked up chili and donated money all in the name of helping out people they have never met and likely never will meet.
Most people who call North America home know they have it made compared to other parts of the world where earthquakes and other natural disasters seem to be all too common.
That doesn’t mean we don’t get our share of disasters in Canada and the United States but we are both such large countries we are better able to handle these events, more so than countries who are already struggling when disaster strikes.
Even locally-based projects continue to enjoy overwhelming community support as evident Saturday evening when well over $140,000 was raised in a matter of hours to help support the upgrade of the North County Recreation Complex.
Picture Butte and area residents who took part in the fundraiser, in any way, can be proud of what they were able to accomplish.
The funds will go along way toward covering off the $500,000 needed to balance out grant funding for the million-plus project.
This Thursday local residents are invited out to Huntsville School in Iron Spring to support a chili supper with proceeds going to rebuild homes in Chile.
A local connection, Jorge Santana will be travel home to Chile to help with the rebuilding and will be taking any funds raised directly back to purchase building supplies.
Volunteers, already lined up in Chile, will be using the funds to rebuild homes in the community where Jorge and his wife, Mandy and their two sons live.
Their personal connection will provides students in the region with a first hand report on how the funds will be used to help families rebuild.
This educational opportunity to teach local students about service, volunteerism and the need to be global citizens is sure to have a lasting impact on young people in the region.
That is the added bonus of the fundraising efforts, both for local projects and for projects in other parts of the world, the teaching moment it provides for our youth.
Teaching young people about volunteerism and donating to worthwhile causes will prove to have lasting community dividends for years to come.