{"id":97717,"date":"2022-05-30T15:17:18","date_gmt":"2022-05-30T19:17:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/?p=97717"},"modified":"2022-05-30T15:17:18","modified_gmt":"2022-05-30T19:17:18","slug":"students-come-together-in-support-of-ukrainian-refugees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/students-come-together-in-support-of-ukrainian-refugees\/","title":{"rendered":"Students come together in support of Ukrainian refugees\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Students from \u00c9cole Sutton School have come together to collect necessary supplies and other items in support of Ukrainian refugees, especially children, that have fled the war in Ukraine to other parts of Europe. Sonia Bahl\u2019s grade four class initiated the project and they are collaborating with various local business\u2019 to send items to Camp \u017dilina, who provides free accommodation to refugees from the Ukraine, and an orphanage in Poland that is providing safety for children from Mariupol.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The project started off with Bahl\u2019s students creating cards for Ukrainian refugees, but then it snowballed to become something more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen we started getting a little bit more serious about getting boxes and filling up the boxes with toys, tutus, etc.,\u201d said Harry, one of the grade four students involved in the project.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The class connected with Camp \u017dilina after one of the student\u2019s parents, whom is from Slovakia, reached out to Bahl.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cKiera\u2019s mom wrote to me telling me about her contact and her sister was actually helping in Camp \u017dilina. So, that\u2019s how we found our first recipient. The other recipient we found, they are 40 children from Mariupol and they are in Poland so we are sending things to them also,\u201d said Bahl.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The class collaborated with transportation company DHL to ensure that these boxes were transported to where they needed to go. The boxes are shipped on a plane and they have to pass through customs, creating for a more lengthy process, and then they are transferred to the recipients.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFrom somebody in our class named Laurielle, her father gave us $5,000 for transportation,\u201d mentioned Harry.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOn our boxes, we have put pictures of the students here with drawings so that the custom people know that these are Canadian children helping Ukrainian children. We are hoping they are not going to stop our boxes from going through the process of customs,\u201d added Bahl.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The class partnered with Cascades and BMR, who gave the students the boxes they needed to collect supplies, and other businesses in Sutton to serve as drop off points for the supplies.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe put boxes at plenty of shops. There\u2019s Vert Partout, la Brou\u00ebrie, Pharmacie Brunet, la Rumeur Affam\u00e9e, Ramen, Caf\u00e9 Yamabiko, and Mollies,\u201d said Kiera.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00c9cole Sutton School is a shared space between the French Val-des-Cerfs school board and the English Eastern Townships School Board. While Bahl\u2019s class is a part of Val-des-Cerfs, the entire school came together to put boxes outside the classroom doors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the students\u2019 favourite parts about the project was having to contact their partners themselves to see if they were interested in collaborating and connecting with the local community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSome people in the class had to film videos and send them on Facebook so hopefully everyone else would start donating more toothpaste, tooth brushes, stuff like that,\u201d said Maxime.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs a teacher, I wanted the students to do the work; it\u2019s their project,\u201d noted Bahl.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Students are currently looking for protein bars, baby formula, first aide kits, school materials, and sleeping bags. They are trying to avoid any items, such as video games, that may include forms of violence.Some of the items collected will also be reserved for the Ukrainian refugees that make their way to the local area.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have liquid soap that might spill and open and make everything wet,\u201d said Maxime.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In terms of what they have learned from the experience, it all came down to kindness, patience, recognizing that others need help, and having fun while doing it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fun knowing that you started the project that made everyone realize that we are not the only one that need things at this moment,\u201d said Maya.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The class will be continue to collect supplies until June 22. All items can be dropped off at any of the locations listed below:<\/p>\n