By Kaylee Wasco
The Charger
H. H. Dow High School
Division 1, Yearbook
Organizations Writing
Sixteen-year-old Erick Hic aimed to be a pilot once he was able to get an education to do so, and eighteen-year-old Evelyn Jicha wanted to further her studies to become a doctor. However, neither of these goals were possible for them because their families didn’t have the funds to send them to school.
When Key Club heard about these students’ educationl situation they decided to try to change their fate by selling Yuda bands, leather and coconut bracelets hand-crafted by people in Guatemala. Money was raised and donated to these two Guatemalan children in order to contribute to their education.
Key Club’s treasurer, junior Sarah Naumovitz, contacted the lead project manager, Philip Whiting, from the Yuda Organization to get this project underway. The organization began three years ago and Whiting had been involved from the start.
“ I feel very blessed to be a part of the project and have been able to meet many of the sponsored students,” Whiting said. “ I love how the project connects kids here in the states with kids in Guatemala.”
The organization’s name, ‘Yuda,’ came from the Spanish verb ‘ayuder,’ which translated to ‘help.’ This was the goal of both Key Club and the Yuda Organization for these children. In order to help the children, the bracelets were sent to Key Club and then were sold for seven dollars during both lunches as a fundraiser.
“They are cute, good gifts and not expensive,” freshman Kellie Sauve said.
Some bands had a symbol on it and others were plain. One symbol was a swirl, which represented ‘a helping hand.’ After two weeks of selling bracelets, the funds that were raised went towards a full year of education for Hic and Jicha. These students were chosen by Yuda and then selected by Key Club to sponsor them.
“ I’m happy that I could support the people to get a better education, I try to help out as much as I can and I’m happy the money went to a good cause,” sophomore John Nosal said. “ I wanted to benefit Key Club and what they were supporting. I thought [the Yuda bands] were cool as well.”
They were fashionable, recognizable, and could be worn by both genders.
“ I thought they were cool and the cause was pretty cool,” sophomore Katie Avery said. “ I’m probably going to be wearing it all the time .”
The Yuda project also got some students to change the way they thought about other people and the situations around them.
“ It shows our school how much school is important to other countries and how lucky we are to have it,” Sauve said.
“ [The Yuda bands project] makes you feel good about yourself that you’re doing something helpful that other kids will be thankful for.”
The students on the board of Key Club were quite proactive and passionate about the bands, which was why they got the project started earlier in the year.
“ I have really good leadership this year [and] our board is really active,” advisor Jeffrey Richards said. “They are running the show, which is great because I get to sit back and see the fruits of [the board’s] labor.”
Because of the passion and support toward Yuda from Key Club and the rest of the student body, Hic’s dream of being a pilot and Jicha’s dream of being a doctor became a possibility. When students wore their bracelets, it was a constant reminder that doing something as small as purchasing a bracelet could change children’s lives.