At WCS, we don’t emphasize a day of service with our students, but rather live lives of service.
A beloved annual fundraising drive to benefit Mission Lazarus and Hope for Haiti’s Children continues for its 24th year at WCS. During the spring semester, students from kindergarten to seniors in high school, collected spare change in water bottles to benefit underprivileged orphans. The 2022 collection included donations collected in 2020 and 2021. “What makes this project extra special is that every penny has been counted for 24 years by the students and goes straight to the charities, ” says Coach Steve Hawley, leader of the project. “We don’t take it to a change machine, we don’t bring in outsiders,100% goes straight to the charity.” This project is completely voluntary for WCS students and families. They are not required to participate. Each year students are excited for the distribution of the water bottles.
HISTORY
Westbury Christian Middle School and High School Bible Teacher and Middle School Girls Basketball Coach, Steve Hawley spearheads the spring long collection. While the project has continued for 24 years at Westbury Christian, the project originated in Lebanon, Tennessee at Friendship Christian School in 1995 with Coach Hawley.
Honduras is a special place in Coach Hawley’s heart. His first mission trip to Honduras occurred in July 1998, a month before his arrival at WCS. A few months later in October 1998, Hurricane Mitch devastated Honduras. Coach Hawley felt compelled to act and serve. Previously at Friendship Christian School, Coach Hawley and a fellow teacher and cheerleading coach initiated the project. After a successful collection in its first year, Coach Hawley recognized there was still work to do. Year after year, Coach Hawley shared the mission of Mission Lazarus and Hope for Haiti’s Children and encouraged participation. He brought the project with him to WCS. Coach Hawley and the former WCS football coach, Chris O’Neal, searched through trash cans to find empty Powerade bottles to pass out to students to collect change. In an attempt to be resourceful, Coach Hawley wrote to Powerade to provide bottles for the fundraiser. Powerade generously donated 600 bottles for WCS students to collect change for Honduras for the 2000-2001 school year. In 2002, a WCS family bought the bottles for WCS students, which included the WCS crest, Mission Lazarus and Hope for Haiti’s Childrens logos. This family has continued to supply WCS students with water bottles for the past twenty years. Coach Hawley’s room has all 20 water bottles on display for all to see.
MISSION LAZARUS AND HOPE FOR HAITI’S CHILDREN
The funds raised at WCS provides support to two nonprofit Christian organizations: Mission Lazarus, a holistic ministry focused on community development in Honduras and Haiti through spiritual, educational, medical and agricultural outreaches; and Hope for Haiti’s Children, which utilizes in-country educators and professionals to nurture, educate and train poverty-bound Haitian children to become spiritual leaders. This year, WCS has chosen to support the Hope for Haiti’s Children school lunch program. Coach Hawley has visited a few of the schools on his past mission trips. “The children at these schools are fed lunch every day. For some kids, this is the only meal they will get.” says Coach Hawley “So it is vital they get some nutrition everyday.” says Coach Hawley. Mission Lazarus has not shared what they plan to do with the funds yet. In the past, our donation has helped supply a pick up truck or any community needs. This school year, the total donation was $11,740 with two checks split to each organization. “The thing I am most…I hate to use the word proud… but the thing I am most proud of as a teacher and a coach is that we’ve been able to keep this project going for 24 years.” says Coach Hawley.
To learn more about the benefiting organizations, visit missionlazarus.org and hopeforhaitischildren.org.
To see a brief summary of the project this year, watch here.