Community walks for a cause
Co-chair of Community Life Paul Pryor Lorentz hands his daughter breakfast during the annual Walk for Uganda. The even raises nearly $4,000 each year.
October 27, 2016
Despite the scheduled ACT college entrance exam and a cross-country meet, the annual Walk for Uganda united Convent High School and Elementary communities on Saturday to raise funds supporting students attending the Sacred Heart Schools in Uganda.
Participants registered online for $25, with many opting to “Sleep in for Uganda” and make a donation without attending.
“You could just pay the money, sleep in for Uganda and you are doing just as much service,” freshman Arianna Nassiri said. “By going to the walk, you are recognizing that ‘I did something for someone else. Why don’t I do something good for myself as well?’”
Proceeds sponsor scholarships for students attending Sacred Heart Primary and St. Charles Lwanga Girls’ Training Centre. The walk usually raises close to $4,000 each year, according to Student Life Director Devin DeMartini Cooke.
“The Network and Religious of the Sacred Heart are our connections in bringing the schools together,” DeMartini Cooke said.
Tuition at the all-girls primary boarding school is $720 per year, and $675 at the high school, St. Charles Lwanga. The money raised contributes to tuition as well as supplies and necessities at a school that has intermittent electricity and little Internet-access.
“This is a great cause to support our schools in Uganda, and it’s a great way to embrace our school community while helping our fellow Sacred Heart Schools,” College Counseling Director Rebecca Munda, who attended the walk with her two young sons and husband, said. “It is a great bonding activity for our school members.”
CES and Stuart Hall for Boys also participate in a Pinewood Derby in the spring which raises money for the Ugandan schools.
The fundraisers also serve as a platform for new students to become more acclimated in the school community, according to Nassiri.
“As a freshman, I try to volunteer for as many of these events as possible just to see what the atmosphere is like, but also this event has a great cause,” Nassiri said. “It is for children who are not as fortunate as we are.”
CES and CSH have supported three to four girls in Uganda through fundraising events since they were in elementary school through fundraising events. Sending the Ugandan schools money allows for the school to purchase what they specifically need while supporting their local economy.
“It’s a great opportunity for students to see each other outside of the classroom, away from their typical schedule and faculty in a different environment,” Munda said. “It’s a way to escape the pressures of everyday life and support our students in Uganda.”
