By Laura Kors ’21
Members of the middle school community purchased baked goods, pizza and popcorn provided by the Simon Says Girls Club, as well as Coolhaus ice cream bars and sandwiches supplied by Emma Limor ’21 in order to support Natural Disaster Relief Day. The event took place on Sept. 28 at the Middle School from break to ninth period. The proceeds were split between the Houston Food Bank, UNICEF and Red Cross to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma and the earthquakes in Mexico.
The event was a collaboration between the members of Simon Says Girls Club and Limor who started an event to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey but later expanded it to include those affected by Hurricane Irma. After the earthquakes in Mexico, Simon Says Girls Club planned an event to help the schools destroyed, but due to the similar nature of the events both fundraisers were combined.
“I really didn’t care [that they combined our events], as long that we were doing something so that we could raise money to help the people. My motivation strictly comes from helping the people, particularly […] the students because so many schools have been devastated and I just feel like as a school we should be looking out for other schools,” Brenda Simon, Middle School Attendance and Health Coordinator and Simon Says Girls Club Faculty Advisor said.
The fundraiser raised $3,000.07 for disaster relief. Every item was sold out, and there were also many donations.
“I wanted to create a pathway for the school to be able to directly help those in need as well as bring conversation on natural disasters as a whole, because natural disasters can occur at any moment, any time, and we as a community need to be prepared,” Limor said.
Students said they enjoyed the event as well.
“I think it’s a really good cause, and I’m happy so many people are coming out to support it,” Samantha McLoughlin ’21 said during the event.