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The WE Day application for Carmel High School is available. It must be completed and signed by student, parents, and teachers. It is on google docs: WE Day application

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Christmas Eve morning club members are passing out jackets, flannels, hats, socks etc. to the homeless in Monterey with Brian Bajari. Meet in the parking lot across from McDonald’s on Del Monte Sunday at 8:45am. We have items to pass out but can use more. Bring new/used items or just bring yourself! #monterey

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We made it on the news this morning! @ywcamc #humantrafficking #montereycounty #salinas

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We are making bags of essential items to pass out to homeless and victims of human trafficking in Monterey County. Please help by buying an item from our Amazon wishlist. There are only a few items left! Help us reach our goal of making 150 bags. Thanks!

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Today we began filling the outreach bags for the YWCA of Monterey County. These bags will be used to assist homeless and human trafficking victims. The bags contain shampoo, lotion, dental supplies, soap, lip balm, and more. Thank you to those who donated to this project.

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This Club Saves Lives is working with YWCA in the renovation and creation of a Human Trafficking Resource Center in Salinas, California. This center will offer counseling, child care, and other basic necessities. Along with this, this center will provide both creative classes–such as dance and art– and classes which help victims finish an education and get a job.

“Their howling stomachs must be given more than a meal and a gallon of water; we must drench them with hope,” says club president, Coral Barrett, who planned this event and has been working alongside YWCA regarding domestic violence and human trafficking victims.

This Club Saves Lives has spent one entire weekend painting the safe house interior. They plan to go back next weekend to finish the renovation, even adding a hall of fame by painting a mural of women leaders. By working on this local project, many students have realized the unfortunate prevalence of this issue and plan to combat it with in the club by encouraging teachers and students to donate to the resource center.

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Freshmen Taylor McPherson and Esme Christou spent a Sunday at Stanford University’s d. school learning how to use design thinking to solve local and global problems. Girls Driving for a Difference led their original Find Your Drive program in the morning and then led the girls through an afternoon of action planning with their new Make Your Mark workshop. Taylor and Esme led a group working on solving the unjust and cruel conditions in prisons.

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BY AVA CRAWFORD

In order to provide clean drinking water to people without access, Carmel High School’s This Club Saves Lives raised $3,000 for the Thirst Project to build wells in Swaziland through a sold- out dinner fundraiser, the Thirst Gala, on Oct. 27 at the CHS performing arts center.

The Thirst Project, a nonpro t or- ganization dedicated to building wells where there is limited access to safe drinking water, hosts their red-carpet Thirst Gala every year in Hollywood where the group raises 20 percent of its funding for water projects.

Carmel High’s own Thirst Gala is a dinner consisting of salad, pasta and bread served by teachers, who also en- tertain the attendees. The club has put on their own gala for CHS students since 2014, selling 150 tickets for $20 each, raising roughly $3,000 year.

“The club pretty much came about because of the Thirst Gala,” club advisor Leigh Cambra says. “It was how we were inspired to start the club.”

In addition to Swaziland, where This Club donates every year via the Thirst Project, the nonpro t also builds wells in India, Ethiopia, Kenya, Colombia, Uganda and El Salvador.

This year, the club received donations of pasta from Gusto’s, Vesuvio, Nicole’s Catering, Pasta Palate, Sarah LaCasse Catering and Rancho Canada.

“We get salad mix donated from Taylor Farms,” Cambra says. “Pebble Beach Company lets us use their plates and silverware, and they wash it. I think it’s great that there are restaurants that are willing to give food to support this cause.”

Thirst Project builds 95 percent of their wells in Swaziland, where one well costs $12,000. The most expensive wells are built in Kenya for $20,000, and the least expensive are in Uganda for $8,000. “Everything you submit, it’s all go- ing to the wells,” says Evan Wesley, vice president of student activation for the Thirst Project. “Last year, we had around 500 schools donate.”

Thousands of schools across the U.S. raise money for the Thirst Proj- ect through various fundraisers, like the gala. All public donations to Thirst Project go directly to building the wells, while all operating expenses are covered by the organization’s donors.

As of October 2017, Thirst Project has completed 920 water projects.

 

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Science teacher Jason Maas-Baldwin playing guitar for students at the event.