To the editor:

My name is Breck Ivy, I am a teacher at Sylvester Middle School (and HHS alum c/o ’95) and was also a student at Sylvester in the late 80’s/early 90’s. My colleague, Stan Thesenvitz (also SMS and HHS alum, c/o ’95), and I brought twenty 7th and 8th grade students to WE Day last month, and we were inspired to start fundraising for causes we believe can create big change for families overseas, as well as help our students realize that they can create big change in the lives of others.

The goat fundraiser is in full gear at Sylvester, and we have raised $550 towards our goal of $1400 (28 goats), which means we can purchase 10 goats for women farmers in Africa.

Here's the story...

20 students and 2 teachers from Sylvester Middle School attended WE Day on April 24th. WE Day is an event where students from across Washington State come together to draw inspiration from a number of celebrities, inventors, athletes, artists, and philanthropists from around the World. Our students were inspired to start fundraising for a cause called "We Create Change". We were all drawn to this cause because people love goats, and we didn't realize how much a difference one goat could make for a family in African villages/towns. Here is the description from the freethechildren.com website...

Why should you
$50 can provide a goat for a family overseas. Your gift of a goat can flourish into a herd, providing an entire family with nutritious milk and sustainable income. That herd enables a woman to start turning her home farm into a thriving business. Equipped with entrepreneurial training and financial education, she can earn enough to send her children to school, plan for emergencies and build a better future for her family.
Ending poverty once and for all means sustainably equipping families with the tools they need so they can empower themselves and their communities.

The challenge to our student body is two-fold. If their 1st period classes raise $50, enough for one goat, they will be able to participate in our annual field day activities. If one class raises more than $50, they can choose a class to donate their excess funds.
Our student body is close to 80% free and reduced lunch, so the number of students able to donate is fewer than other schools. Please make checks payable to Sylvester Middle School and send the to...

Sylvester Middle School
16222 Sylvester Rd. SW
Burien, WA 98166