Hatzic Middle School’s grade nine Leadership class presented the Mission Hospice Society with a $2,500 cheque on Saturday night (April 27) at Hospice’s Intergalactic Gala.
Hatzic students have been fundraising for Hospice since the beginning of the year. When deciding how they wanted to support their community, they chose the Mission Hospice Society.
“At some point, everyone deals with loss. When that person is a youth or child, the Mission Hospice Society has been there to help them grieve, grow, and thrive in our community. Countless students in the classroom and hallway have been connected to the Society and given that needed support,” Hatzic Middle’s Leadership teacher Nathan Williams said.
The Hatzic Leadership 9 class planned and carried out a series of fundraisers, including an all-school Halloween dance. All profits went to the Hospice Society and non-perishables were donated to St. Joseph’s Food Bank.
“They used their fundraising project as a platform to grow school spirit and community,” Williams said.
The students also run the school store at lunchtime daily, managing advertising, funds, inventory, and ordering. Partial proceeds raised through the store were directed to the Mission Hospice Society.
“This kind of program not only provides opportunities for the students to develop work experience, but it’s another way to bring some positivity to the school at lunchtime,” Williams said.
The class also took the initiative to sell Candy Grams. Non-perishables were also taken in and donated to Indigenous seniors in the community.
Williams says much of the work Hospice does is unseen.
“Their commitment to children and youth in Mission is immeasurable. Whether it’s a connection to services, someone really listening, and/or guidance when life becomes incomprehensible, it’s no wonder that a group of young people in Hatzic wanted to commit to a society which has shown so much commitment to them,” he said.
The Leadership class includes students Keenan Anthony, Gabriel Benavides, Alice Bonjer-Woron, Samuel Chambers, David Crossland, Ashton Dean, Anish Deo, Chethana Dissanayake, Ayla Forster, Molly Georget, Jade Gilmore, Aaden Greig, Katrina Hartnell, Julian Hetherington, Addison Irwin, Ivan Johnson, Bohyeon Kevin Jun, Parmjot Kaler, Gabi Kovacs, Cashel Long, Kevin Maddison, Navneet Nanra, Clara Neumann, Madeline Nowak, Eden Pongracz, Lucas Regnier, Xavier Resch, Ellie Sawatzky, Kaylee Sawka, Desirae Shamsher, Chloe Smith, EJ Smith, Caden Stein, and Maddi Witmer.
For more information and stories about what the Leadership class is up to, check out Hatzic Middle School Instagram page with the @hatzicmiddle handle.