Shirts for Kindness Help Support Langley Students
September 11, 2020
Left: Susan Cairns, Executive Director of the Langley School District Foundation. Right: Parkside Centennial Vice-Principal, Christine Thygesen.
You may have noticed a new shirt around town. “Be Kind” or “Choose Kindness” are words to live by, according to the Langley School District Foundation, and their Kindness T-Shirt campaign.
The shirts are sold for $20 a piece, and The Foundation hopes to use the money to continue supporting students and families in the District. Due to COVID-19, traditional big fundraiser events such as the annual Gala or Golf Tournament, were cancelled.
“The community has been amazing,” says Susan Cairns, the executive director of the Langley School District Foundation. “They really stepped up and contributed large amounts of money, which was really unprecedented. We were more than grateful. So, we are okay. But, there’s other things that we need to do, so that was why we decided to do the T-shirt campaign.”
Since April, the Foundation has been supporting the community with $50 grocery cards every week. The program costs the Foundation $32,500 a week, and without their traditional fundraising events and the need to continue other programs, the Foundation has had to search for alternative methods of raising money.
The T-shirt campaign began in August, and already they are selling out.
“We ordered an initial one-hundred to see how they would go, and they went instantly,” says Cairns. “So, now we just got our second order in. We have five-hundred, and they’re in all sizes.”
In addition to the grocery gift cards, some schools have been serving food to their communities through tiny, free grocery stores on-site. Douglas Park Community and Parkside Centennial Elementary have both been serving their communities needs since the pandemic began.
“We provide the gift cards to all the families, but Parkside and Douglas Park also have, where families can come and pick up food hampers to take home every Tuesday and Thursday. So, we wanted to give them some T-shirts to show our appreciation for the great work that they’re doing,” says Cairns.
“It’s quite an endeavour to do that all throughout the summer, and I think they’re going to continue as long as this crazy virus persists.”
If you would like to buy a t-shirt or support the Langley School District Foundation in other ways, be sure to check out their website: Langley School District Foundation.