Students at Issaquah Valley Elementary School (IVE) have been doing their bit to aid the recovery effort in Haiti. This week, the concerned boys and girls have been putting their hard-earned pennies into collection jars marked “putting your spare change in this jar helps the people in Haiti.”

The money will be collected by the school’s PTA and sent to the American Red Cross. The PTA’s goal is to raise $500.

Fourth-grader Mary Heffernan told The Reporter she knew the earthquake in Haiti earlier this month destroyed a lot of homes and important buildings, and left the country is disarray.

“And because Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world, they can’t rebuild by themselves,” she said.

Fellow fourth-grader Will Meadows said his Dad had told him what had happened in Haiti, and that 20,000 people had been crushed during the earthquake.

“The money we are raising is for equipment to help fix the buildings again, and for food,” he said.

Thanks to the generous support of a parent who works at Microsoft, every dollar the school raises will be matched, doubling their donation to the Red Cross.

Maple Hills Elementary School in Renton raised over $1,200 in one week through their caring community of students, parents, and staff, in their Mercy Corps/Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund drive. The drive will continue through Friday, Jan. 29. To contribute, contact the school at www.maplehills.issaquah.wednet.edu