By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
During their first annual holiday project, Carrboro High School students raised $4,200 to support needy families this holiday season.
Over a two-week period, students bought and sold purple, black and white paper links – Carrboro High’s colors – in their homerooms. Purple and white links were 25 cents, while black links were $5.
Carrboro High students collaborated on the project with students from Chapel Hill High School, who have raised money by selling links for a number of years.
“There’s just a lot of excitement and a lot of competitive spirit, but in a good-natured way,†said Daniel Matchar, Carrboro High student body president.
Students brought in loose change or donations from friends or family members to buy the links, which will be used to create a giant bow.
“I had one girl in my homeroom who brought in $22 in loose change,†Matchar said.
The homeroom that raised the most money will get a free breakfast from Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen, while the second- and third-place homerooms will get free breakfast from Bruegger’s Bagels, Matchar said.
“We made it a little bit of a competition to get people more excited about it,†he said.
In addition, some homeroom teachers offered to buy breakfast for students if they raised a certain amount of money, while others offered to match funds collected by students on a given day.
On Friday, members of the student council will use a free period to purchase gifts for families from the Adopt-a-Family of Orange County program. Through the program, needy families submit wish lists for the holidays.
“We’re really just trying to make it really nice for them,†Matchar said. For parents, the students might buy grocery or gas gift cards, while they might pick out different toys and clothing for children, he added.
After school exams are over on Friday, students from Carrboro and Chapel Hill highs will get together to piece all the links together to make a giant bow.
“It fits the spirit of the project,†Matchar said.