Help Local Students Deliver Hope To Haiti

BY: Elyse Miller News Channel 3 Reporteremiller@kesq.com

SALTON CITY – “I was in shock to see what’s happening there,” says Lydia Enriquez, student at West Shores High School. “I almost broke down in tears.”

Drama students at West Shores High School want to reach out to those hit by the horror in Haiti.

” I’m going through my stuff at home getting out things that I don’t wear,” says student, Sophia Meza.

A classroom is full of boxes and the boxes are full of clothes. The students collected the clothes to sell at a yard sale, so they could raise money for a drama trip to New York, but the earthquake victims have a deeper need.

” We don’t need these clothes and we can do without some of the money,” says Meza. “They need it more than we do.”

The problem is getting the items to Haiti. Packaging and shipping would cost a lot of money and it’s money the school doesn’t have.

” My drama budget is zero,” says Sam Messler, drama teacher at West Shores.

Relief organizations repeatedly stress the need for money instead of clothes or supplies. Messler says clothes are what the students have to give.

” I just saw on the news that people were rummaging around the ruins looking for clothes because it’s cold at night,” says Messler. ” We have that stuff here, we just need to get it there. If there is a cargo plane going out there, maybe we can just get this stuff on it.”

The students are confident, the clothes will eventually make it to Haiti to help warm the bodies and the hearts of the earthquake victims.

” Anything is possible,” says Enriquez.

If you want to help the West Shores students get their donations to Haiti, call Sam Messler at 760-394-4331 or email samuel.messler@cvusd.us.