Lifesaving water straws draw students to help

School students give up some gifts to help less fortunate

By John Gleason

What’s clean drinking water worth? For the students at Annunciation School in Denver it’s worth giving up a present for themselves so that children on the other side of the world have a chance at life. 

For years, students at Annunciation School, which has a high minority, low-income population, received gifts from the students of Shrine of St. Anne School in Arvada.  The gifts would consist of goodie bags containing a hat or gloves or some other small article of clothing as well as candies and other goodies, according to Sister Jean Panisko, S.C.L., Annunciation principal.

“It’s a tradition that’s been going on during the Christmas season for a long time,” Sister Panisko said.  “But this year, the students were moved to pass this goodwill on to others.”

At a recent presentation made to the student body at Annunciation by AIDSpirit Montana, a faith-based nonprofit organization, students discovered that for children living in parts of Africa, the only water they have to drink is contaminated with typhoid, salmonella and cholera.

According to statistics released by AIDSpirit, nearly 6,000 people, mainly children, die each day by consuming unsafe drinking water.

A new purification system distributed by AIDSpirit called Lifestraw Water Filters, removes more than 99 percent of waterborne bacteria, effectively making the water safe to drink.  The straw, which costs $10, works for a year at providing clean drinking water.  Sister Panisko said that after the presentation, the students were abuzz at wanting to do something to help.

“And that’s when they came up with the idea of passing on the goodwill that comes to them each year,” she said.

Two sixth-graders, Stephany Vazquez and Oscar Garcia, both 12, drew up a petition saying those who signed it would forego a present of their own to help get straws to the children in Africa.

“We saw how much we have and how … others don’t have and wanted to do something,” Vazquez said.  “All of the students wanted to help and we even got the teachers involved.”

After the petitions were circulated and signed they were presented to the Student Council at St. Anne’s where the students there also got caught up in wanting to help.  They pledged the money normally used to buy presents would go toward purchasing Lifestraws.  But they wanted to see what else they could do to help, according to St. Anne’s Principal Kathy Kuehl.

“They organized a dress-down day and began colleting money,” she said.  “The work the students have done is nothing short of tremendous.  But this is another reason why we have pride in the Catholic school students.  Look at the children at Annunciation.  They take this goodwill and pay it forward; others can’t help but be inspired.”

Meantime, back at Annunciation, Oscar Garcia said that not only were his classmates willing to give up a gift, but they wanted to raise money on their own.

“We’re going to collect money in all of our classes,” he said.  “So far the second grade has collected almost $50.  We like giving up a gift for someone else in need, but we want to do more.  And there’s other schools helping, too.”

Garcia was referring to the students at St. Rose of Lima School who were also present at the Lifestraws presentation.  Like their counterparts at Annunciation, the St. Rose Student Council wanted to help, according to eighth-grade teacher and Student Council moderator Sarah O’Connor.

“During the presentation, our students learned that AIDSpirit sells African angel dolls and uses the money to buy more Lifestraws,” she said.  “So they requested to sell the dolls after Mass at St. Rose.  The cost of two dolls will purchase one straw and that means clean water for a year.  Not a bad thing to be a part of.”

Each school will continue to raise money until a check presentation is made on Dec. 19 from St. Anne’s Student Council to Annunciation’s.  Money will continue to come in until that time. Sister Panisko is confident that more than $2,000 will be raised.

“That’s enough to buy straws for clean drinking water for 200 children,” she said.  “Not a bad thing for the kids to be part of.”