Fund-raising never sounded so good: Seattle indie rock band Barcelona will hold a concert this week to kick-off a month long coin drive at Pine Lake Middle School and Pacific Cascade Freshman Campus to benefit both International Justice Mission (IJM) and Children’s Hospital.
The concert is at 7 p.m. tonight, Friday, April 3, at Pacific Cascade Freshman Campus.
The combined schools are hoping to sell 1,200 tickets to students.
This is the third-annual “Loose Change to Loosen Chains” fund-raiser: the money collected for IJM will help teams of lawyers and investigators liberate the world’s modern-day slaves.
Last year, the students collected $50,000 (that’s 200,000 quarters!) — enough to free 120 slaves.
These victims are often children — either enslaved with their families in rock quarries, rice mills or brick kilns—or they are underage girls taken from their homes and trafficked to brothels.
This year, the Pine Lake and Pacific Cascade students felt inspired to give locally as well as globally.
Inspired by several students who have personally benefited from the local health provider, half the money collected will be donated to Seattle’s Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center to help fight childhood diseases.
Students are asking community members to join this student-inspired cause and drop off donations of any size at the campuses of Pine Lake Middle School on May 5, 7, 12 and 14, and Pacific Cascade Freshman Campus on April 28, 30 and May 12 and 14.
Teacher Eric Ensey first helped spearhead this philanthropic event three years ago when student leaders were motivated to unite the student body to make a difference in the world.
“There are amazing students at this school,” Ensey said. “I knew that with influential student leadership, the kids would devote their time to this noble cause of freeing modern-day slaves.”
“Most had no idea slavery still exists. When they found out, they did everything they could to collect change.”
“In two years, these students have raised over $65,000 in loose change and they’ve set high goals again for this year.”
“I traveled to India last month and saw first-hand how this ‘loose change’ has rescued lives.”
Ensey tracked his trip at www.seekjust.blogspot.com—and students eagerly followed his progress and the work of IJM.
“I didn’t even know there were modern day slaves,” said Caroline Cindric, an 8th grader at Pine Lake Middle School and one of the student leaders for this year’s campaign. “But I’ve learned a lot about it and now I know that on the other side of the world there are kids my age in slavery – and the money we raise can help save their lives.”
