LaSalle public school raises money for childhood cancer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Caleb Workman

 

Six LaSalle Public School students have raised almost $200 for early childhood cancer by making rainbow loom jewelry.

Aubryn Boivert and her five friends – Emma Lauzon, Emme Faubert, Lily Clayden, Nicole Watson and Aneesha Bhullar – have been selling their homemade jewelry during morning recess and ran the program from Jan. 26 to Jan. 30. The girls set up in the library and sell everything they have made.

“Everything we sell is three dollars or less,” said Boivert, who started rainbow looming when she received a kit from her parents at Christmas.

The program ran from Jan. 26 to 30 at LPS.

Watson, who also received a rainbow loom kit from her parents, originally wanted to start the initiative for AIDS.

“We wanted to do this last year but it was too close to the end of the year to start a big project like this,” said Watson. “I didn’t know we had switched from AIDS to childhood cancer until I got back to school after being sick for a while. I was surprised and happy when I found out we were doing it for childhood cancer.”

Rainbow loom is a plastic loom used by mixing and weaving colorful rubber bands into bracelets, charms and other jewelry.

“To start this whole thing up, it took a whole month. We had to figure out who would donate the money and who was going to get it all ready,” said Bhullar who made much of the jewelry the girls themselves wear. “We decided to do it during this season because a lot of people get really sick and I thought it would be best to do it for childhood cancer because a lot of people from our school have suffered from it.”

The girls said they had been broadcasting news of their project on the early morning announcements every day during the week of the sale.

“I’m usually the one who says the announcements,” said Watson. “When I went on, I would say ‘Bring your loonies and your toonies and both of those things,’ every morning.”

Clayden said all of their sales have been inside of the school but there are ways for people outside of the school to make purchases as well.

“If parents have kids that go to the school, they can give them money to buy the rainbow loom,” said Clayden. “People can bring the jewelry they buy to the hospital and they’ll give them to the kids who have cancer and it’s not just us who do this kind of stuff. People all over the world do this kind of stuff to try and help raise money”

The girls said they encourage everyone to try their own initiative.

“Anyone can make their own little store and raise money for people,” said Clayden.

Next year, the girls said they are hoping to do it for Hospice Life Walk.

The school sales have come to an end but they will still be able to provide service to those who wish to purchase jewelry with some of their rainbow loom creations.