Students on numerous LISD campuses have taken part in fundraisers that help not only members of the community but also children in other countries. With the help of We Help Two, students from Hudson PEP sold 302 packs of socks which will cover tuition for 1 year, new school uniforms and 2 meals a day for 3 students as well as a portion of a teacher’s salary at the school.
“The idea is to have a global and local impact,” said Trevor Bergman, who started We Help Two with his wife Bethany in 2012. The organization operates in both the U.S. and Canada. In November of 2019, they had around 300 active campaigns.
We Help Two offers four different fundraising projects or the ability to sell socks for your own cause. The four specific causes are: Socks for School where a child is sponsored to help receive an education for a year, Socks for Legs where amputees are giving legs that would not ordinarily be able to afford them, Socks for Clubfoot which helps babies with clubfeet, and Socks for Wash where students in schools around the world are provided with clean water, new latrines and health education.
Over the past three years Longview ISD students have provided 650 legs for amputees, 150 clubfoot repairs for babies, raised over $35,000 for clean water projects, sponsored 60 students to attend school, helped raise over $500,000 for other causes and donated over 150,000 pairs of socks.
Hudson PEP’s most recent fundraiser helped 3 students in Kampala, Uganda. One student that they helped was Shantal Nassanga, a 6-year-old who says that her favorite hobby is dancing and wants to be a pilot when she grows up.
“The neat thing about that is schools get to choose a specific child and then they raise the funds to put that child through school,” Bergman said. “They also get to correspond with that child throughout the school year.”
Along with helping to raise funds to help students in other countries, LISD students have also been helping to warm the feet of local community members. For every pack of socks (each of which includes 3 socks) that is sold, a pair of socks will be donated locally.
“The Longview ISD has always been a very strong support of our program. I think they see the value of what we do; not only in having a global impact but also a local impact. With the local sock donation program, the children get to decide where they are donated,” Bergman said, adding that both Hiway 80 Rescue Mission and Buckner have been recipients.
To find out more about this organization go to WeHelpTwo.com.