Contributed by Mona Sabouri, CSR committee member and ESL Teacher at ILSC Montreal
In January 2016, a student of mine decided to present on the current state of Syria and its millions of refugees. Bruna Aparecida Dos Santos’ presentation was quite moving. She made me want to do something about this and well, I brought it to the attention of the CSR committee at ILSC Montreal and all members readily approved the idea of a fundraiser to help Syrian refugees.
Pascale Mari, a French teacher and fellow CSR member, helped me lead a fundraiser in the school by integrating her French language students while I did the same with my English students. Together, with the support of staff and admin, we raised $554.25 which we donated to the Humanitarian Coalition. In turn, the Canadian Government will match this amount. This will surely make a difference.
I later asked my students to write a short piece on the fundraiser and the steps they undertook to make it happen. Here are some of their quotes which I would like to share with you:
“Together we had a big success! I felt so good. Up to now, I had never had a volunteer experience and I really recommend that everyone try this amazing experience.” Angelica Verga
“For me this fundraiser was a beautiful experience because I could improve my English, sell and raise money for the Humanitarian Coalition.” Luis Felipe Triana Santos
“This was a very precious experience. I am proud of us and all students.” Jun Been Cho
“This experience was really wonderful because it’s something new for me… I’m so proud of everything we did for helping Syrians.” Sara Murillo Mazo
“It’s an interesting topic and also, it allows us to improve our conversation skills in English because it’s a real exchange with other people. And also, it’s for a good cause.” Lea Versigny
I am tremendously proud of my students. They worked hard and sacrificed their lunch hours for this cause. Both Pascale and my students remained dedicated throughout the week and really did their best. Their efforts have made a difference. What a wonderful experience!
