MEDIA ADVISORY
For Thursday, October 10
Media contact: Cara Scarola Hansen, Marketing Director
561-345-3103
Dorian Sparks World of Change for Rosarian Academy: $10K Matching Gift Challenge to Kick Off Thursday, October 10
In response to the humanitarian crisis facing the Bahamas and aligned with Rosarian Academy’s mission and beliefs to live out the Gospel values, the school has opened seats to hurricane-displaced children who no longer have a school to attend. To date, eight students from the Abacos are now attending the independent Catholic school in West Palm Beach. Rosarian’s goodwill in the wake of Dorian has now sparked a “world of change” with a $10,000 matching gift challenge.
Matt Hoidal, Founder & Chief Change Maker of World of Change—a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization in Portland, ME—caught wind of the school’s relief efforts through a recent Facebook post where Rosarian Academy students were counting change donated by friends of the school to help with the incidental costs for Rosarian to educate Bahamian children. Moved by the students’ service and the school’s efforts to help displaced families, Mr. Hoidal reached out to Rosarian to be World of Change’s first partner in the state of Florida to continue to “change” the lives of those affected by Hurricane Dorian.
“What you are doing for those displaced families is a real community effort, and the correlation between change collection and change making will be enhanced by the warmth and generous spirit displayed by all. Thank you for what is already the beginning of a great partnership,” stated Mr. Hoidal in an email to Rosarian staff who are helping lead the drive for change.
World of Change uses a series of ongoing matching challenges and grassroots fundraising efforts to mobilize and leverage the collective capacity of collecting change. According to the organization, there’s an estimated $10 billion in loose change sitting idle in American households and $62 million in spare change discarded every year. On behalf of Rosarian’s relief efforts, World of Change helped identify another charity, Hands on Tzedekah, to match up to $10,000 of change collected between now and October 31.
Mr. Hoidal will lead the Rosarian Academy student body in an assembly next Thursday, October 10 as a kickoff to the school collecting change to help offset the costs for children who have been displaced from the Bahamas to attend Rosarian. Each student and staff member will be sent home with a small “World of Change” change purse. Students are encouraged to put any spare change found lying around the house, in the car, or in the streets into the pouch.
“We are called to be the hands and feet of Christ and are blessed that our students and staff can witness firsthand the ‘change’ they are making for our Bahamian friends who have joined our school family this year,” said Linda Trethewey, Head of School.
100% of the change collected through the end of the month will go directly to Rosarian’s relief efforts and up to $10,000 of it will be matched by Hands on Tzedekah (HOT) as part of their overall response to helping the Bahamas. HOT, which is located in Boca Raton, FL, sees this collaboration as an innovative way to simultaneously help those in need and create the next generation of caring people.
Community members interested in participating in this World of Change collection are invited to drop off their change at Rosarian Academy between the hours of 8am – 3pm, Monday-Friday, until October 31. Rosarian is located at 807 North Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach.
KICK OFF: Thursday, October 10
8:45 am – Matt Hoidal to lead assembly for pre-K – 4th grade students
9:30 am – Matt Hoidal to lead assembly for 5th – 8th grade students
WHERE: Rosarian Academy Theater
807 N. Flagler Drive
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
(all media must check-in to front office and show photo I.D.)
MEDIA CONTACT: Cara Scarola Hansen, Marketing & Communications Director
Office: 561.345.3103 cell: 561.632.6747
