The wildfires in Los Angeles devastated the county, razing neighborhoods and displacing communities. Moved by their plight, four fifth-graders from Montclaire Elementary School in Los Altos took action to assist them.
“I wanted to help raise money for the schools that were burned down by the fires,” student Finnley Tucker said. “If this happened to me, I’d be heartbroken. The people who go to the school were probably really sad, so we wanted to help. We wanted those people to feel our support.”
To do so, Finnley joined Eidyn Ouyang, Akshay Upadhyayula and Siddharth Anandikar in organizing a fundraiser to support the Altadena Arts Magnet School’s relocation effort after its campus burned down. The fifth-graders raised about $300 during the four-hour event in March.
Eidyn, who came up with the idea for the fundraiser, said she organized it because she wanted to make a positive impact on the community. She approached her classmates for their help in executing the idea.
Initially, the other students were reluctant because of how big the endeavor seemed, but Siddharth said they became supportive after learning it was a worthy endeavor.
“I was hesitant at first, because I kept having the feeling that this could go wrong, but when I realized what Eidyn was doing, I knew it was for a good cause,” Siddharth said. “The Los Angeles wildfires were really big, and I wanted to join Eidyn and help people.”
At first, Eidyn said she was not sure what she should do to raise money. She originally considered selling orange juice, but her mother had another idea. Caroline Ouyang, who also works for the school district, told her there were items such as door hangers, wood chimes and coral blocks at Montclaire she could use.
Eventually, the students organized an event at which participants could paint an item of their choice and keep it afterward, Akshay said.
The students kept in close contact during the planning process, according to Akshay, and it helped everyone become closer because they were united for a common cause.
“At first we would just say, ‘Hi,’ but then, we started talking more, and we actually found each other’s personalities,” Akshay said. “I feel like (working on the project) showed truly who we are, and also showed that we can work together.”
Caroline said she was surprised when her daughter first approached her with the idea, but was proud of the remarkable level of independence that the students had throughout the entire process.
“I was stunned at first because we don’t personally know anyone impacted by the fires, but I was happy to support Eidyn in thinking about how to give back to the community,” Caroline said. “I’m very proud of all of the kids for their initiative and determination and persistence in seeing through what started as an idea to a very successful and meaningful initiative.”
Eidyn added that she was happy she could help people in need.
“I learned that being a global contributor has a really good feeling to it, because you know that you’re helping someone in need or doing something good for your community,”
