The North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists’ education department decided to start a fundraiser in which they hoped every Adventist school would participate. For their fundraiser, the NAD chose to collect money to provide food for children who had become orphans due to the AIDS epidemic in Africa.

When Sara Griesert, principal of the Echo Ridge school in Nevada City, Calif., presented this goal to the 37 students, the students decided they wanted to really make a significant impact. “Once I challenged our students to raise a total of $1,000, they could hardly wait to go home and raid their savings,” said Griesert.

The students wanted to be creative, so they found a large jar and designated it as the collection jar. They began to bring in their savings and allowances, and the jar began to steadily get filled. The students tried doing different things to raise money. Third-grader Bailey Caughey baked cookies and sold them to raise some funds. Adam Hagele, a sixth-grader, told his parents that he wanted to donate his entire savings for the children in South Africa.

One day, the students watched a video on the difficult situation in which the African AIDS orphans are living — where they are only provided with food during the weekdays and have to go hungry on the weekends. They then skipped lunch so they would truly feel the pangs of hunger. That experience inspired the K-8 students to do even more.

A “lap-a-thon” was organized, in which the students obtained sponsors to donate money for each lap completed in a 45-minute period. The Grass Valley church and the community in general responded to their efforts. Four donors even promised to match the total of whatever funds the students were able to raise — up to $1,000.

On the day of the “lap-a-thon,” all of the students gathered excitedly and began to run. While the kindergarten students stopped running before the 45 minutes were over, they quickly switched into cheerleaders and encouraged their fellow schoolmates to continue without stopping. Many students completed more than 30 laps during the time period, which equaled more than five miles. All of their efforts paid off, too, as the tiny grade school in the foothills was able to raise more than $6,000!

The entire Northern California Conference raised more than $12,000, about 15 percent of the NAD’s total goal. The NAD’s goal was to raise an average of $1.50 per student, but the 37 students at Echo Ridge raised more than $162 per student, which is more than 100 times greater than the NAD’s goal.

“Our theme for the school year was service, and I cannot think of a better way to teach our students what service is all about,” said Griesert. “Not only did they personally raise and donate a lot of money, but more importantly, they gave from the heart, and that is what matters most!”