Portland fifth-graders raise money for Haiti

In an effort to raise money for the people of Haiti, Breakwater School’s fifth-grade students have begun a website called Handmade for Haiti at www.handmadeforhaiti.org.

Handmade for Haiti sells handmade items such as knit hats, scarves, and mittens, paintings, soaps and coasters. Original photography is expected to arrive on their site soon, the school reported. Some of the handmade items have been made by the students, while others have been made by the Breakwater School Community — including parents, teachers, grandparents and friends. One hundred percent of their proceeds will go towards disaster relief for Haiti — though the students are currently researching which nonprofit they feel would be the best fit for them to send their proceeds to.

The students came up with the idea for the website after being devastated by Haiti’s suffering after its recent earthquakes, the school reported in a press release. They immediately wanted to find a way to help. Many students enjoy knitting and have taken knitting enrichment classes at Breakwater. Others thought their paintings would be a great way to earn money for the cause.

After their website was online only 10 hours, the students already sold $115 worth of handmade products. To date, they have earned over $300 — more than halfway toward their original goal of $500.

"The fifth-grade students are in awe of the website’s success and are working hard to create artwork to keep up with the growing demand," the school reported. They are also accepting donations of handmade items to sell and ask that people enclose a suggested price for the item. Any handmade donations may be sent to: Fifth Grade Class, Breakwater School, 856 Brighton Avenue, Portland, ME 04102.

The students have realized that through their website they are engaging a much larger audience than they ever imagined. To their surprise, half of their sales were to people outside of the Breakwater School community — including people in North Carolina and Delaware. Realizing that this has become larger-scale than they originally imagined, students have incorporated other forms of media they enjoy to get word out about their organization, including the creation of a Facebook fan page and a Twitter account. They are currently working on a video they plan on sending to the Ellen DeGeneres Show in hopes that the talk show host will mention their cause on national television.

Breakwater’s students plan on making this an ongoing project throughout the year. Although their goal was originally to make $500 to donate to charity, they have decided to look even higher. When asked if they hoped to exceed their goal, one fifth-grader enthusiastically replied, “Oh, definitely!”

"These Portland fifth-graders are beginning to realize first-hand that the sky is the limit," Breakwater noted.