Students gather change for Japanese sister city

CARLSBAD — The week ending March 25, a letter and a cashier’s check for $1,000 were sent from the students, faculty and parents of La Costa Heights Elementary School to the school’s sister city in Futtsu, Japan.
The letter read, “To the Ambassadors and city of Futtsu, Japan: Like the world at large, the students at La Costa Heights Elementary School in Carlsbad, California have been concerned for your country after the recent tragedies. As a community, we appreciate our sister-city relationship and we wanted to show our support in some way. Over the past couple of days, the 600 students of our school have generously brought in their spare change in an effort to show their love and compassion for Futtsu. We hope this small gesture will somehow bring restoration to your community. Please know that our thoughts and prayers will continue to go out to both Futtsu and the rest of Japan.”
The fundraising effort was prompted by discussions of the school’s fifth- and sixth-grade Leadership Team. It swiftly involved volunteers in every classroom, as well as the Selby family, the Heggie family, PTA President Debbie Pinter, 4-year-old Carlsbad resident Ciara Robertson, LCH School Services Secretary Kaye Kelford Lil Volkening, LCH Office Manager Lil Volkening, LCH Principal Leighangela Brady and the LCH Leadership Team. Schoolwide, youngsters donated $574.
Other special donors included the fourth-grade Recycling Green Team, which donated $200 of its recycling money, and a donation to round the amount collected to $1,000 came from Kelford. Robertson’s dad, Mike, was principal for a day at La Costa Heights, and when he shared with daughter Ciara the school’s plans to gather change for Futtsu, she insisted on selling cookies and lemonade at the family garage sale to raise money to help. The youngster raised $120.