Students who participate in virtual field trips with The Sanctuary's Education Team often give back by holding fundraisers for the elephants leading up to or after their Distance Learning sessions.
The 6th and 7th-grade grade students at Clayton Bradley Academy in Maryville, Tennessee held a school fundraiser collecting over $450 in donations for The Elephant Sanctuary. Every year, the students learn about economics and sustainability through running a “classroom business.” Using only recycled or donated materials, students upcycle and sell items as part of a fundraising event for the school community. This year, students worked with the Habitat Restore to upcycle old jeans into dog toys. They also created jewelry using donated costume jewelry from a local artist, designed and sewed bags out of old school uniforms, and made envelopes and cards from recycled paper.
“Being sustainable means ensuring that the environment, economy, and community are taken care of,” said Liz Shugart, teacher at Clayton Bradley Academy. “All of the profits from the fundraiser are donated to local nonprofits, and this year the students voted to donate to The Elephant Sanctuary. As a result, they were able to contribute to the Adopt an Elephant program, donating to all nine of the elephants at The Sanctuary, and enjoyed the virtual field study where they learned what would happen with the money donated.”
Up in Warrington, Pennsylvania, Ms. Tierney’s 5th-grade class and Ms. Wood’s 6th-grade class of St. Joseph-St. Robert School recently raised over $700 for The Sanctuary! The students held a fundraiser at their school, allowing them to share their knowledge and bring awareness to the issues facing captive and wild elephants with their community, and then decided to give their generous donations to both our Adopt an Elephant and Feed programs. “They have worked hard and put a lot of effort into the cause,” said teachers Marie Tierney and Ann Wood. “Thank you for taking the time to educate our students and for all that you do at The Sanctuary!”