NEWS RELEASE
November 15, 2019
For immediate release
Media contact: Cara Scarola Hansen, Marketing Director
561-345-3103
VIDEO:
World of Change Collection Reveal – https://youtu.be/4hqbt389aeM
50,643 Coins Collected to Help Bahamians: Rosarian Academy Changes the World
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 sparked a “world of change” with a $10,000 matching 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 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.
World of Change uses a series of ongoing matching challenges and grassroots fundraising efforts to mobilize and leverage the collective capacity of collecting change. 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 Tzedakah, to match up to $10,000 of change collected between October 7-31, 2019.
Mr. Hoidal led the Rosarian Academy student body in an assembly on 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 child was sent home with a small “World of Change” change purse. Students were encouraged to put any spare change found lying around the house, in the car, or in the streets into the pouch.
Community members were also invited to be a part of this change collection. St. Patrick Catholic Church in Palm Beach Gardens and other local Palm Beach County businesses joined–including: Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, North Palm Beach Dentistry, Anderson Chiropractic Clinic, Raymond James – West Palm Beach Branch, Roberto J. Acosta, M.D., P.A, and Bath Fitter. St. Patrick’s collection alone was $3,818.15.
A total of 50,463 coins were sorted and rolled every school day during lunch for 4 weeks by middle school students. Children in the Early Childhood program also helped count and roll the coins as part of their Montessori learning.
The total amount collected was $8,499.31. 100% of this change collected is being doubled through the generosity of Hands on Tzedakah–bringing the total amount to $16, 998.62.
“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.
In response to the reveal of the final change count, Matt Hoidal commented, “Congratulations on showing what’s possible when a community rallies together in such an intentional and spirited way. This is amazingly beautiful!”
For more information on Rosarian Academy’s hurricane-displaced relief efforts, please contact [email protected] or 561.345.3109.
Rosarian Academy, founded in 1925, educates students from early childhood through eighth grade and offers an exceptionally strong academic program enriched by athletics, visual and performing arts, and community service opportunities. The independent, Catholic school is located on Flagler Drive in downtown West Palm Beach and is sponsored by the Adrian Dominican Sisters. Bus service is available throughout Palm Beach County. For more information, visit www.rosarian.org.
