Local Free the Children chapter founded

When sophomore Maddie Brown was asked to help organize a new social action organization, she agreed to assist the founding of Park’s chapter of Free the Children.

“I thought it was a really good idea,” Brown said. “We can get our school more involved in social issues.”

An April 4 meeting introduced the group to students. Bria Wilbur, an outreach speaker for Free the Children, was present at the meeting to introduce and explain the mission of the organization.

“We have two main goals in our organization,” Wilbur said. “Internationally, we want to free kids around the world from poverty and exploitation. Locally, we want to overcome the idea that kids are powerless to cause change in the world.”

Sophomore Shoshi Fischman, one of the organizers of the new club, said one of the main issues Park’s chapter will focus on is homelessness.

“Sometime this spring we want our group to sleep outside in cardboard boxes to help raise awareness for homelessness,” Fischman said.

Fischman said the group also plans to raise money to pay for school supplies for high schools in Kenya. According to Fischman, this idea originated from sophomore Ellie Stillman, who has traveled to Kenya to help build schools.
“We want to collect money to send off to Kenyan high schools so we can help more kids there be able to go to school,” Fischman said.

According to Wilbur, aid to Kenyan schools can make a particularly powerful difference in the lives of Kenyan girls.

“In Kenya, a lot of girls don’t go to school. Their job is to collect water and bring it to their families,” Wilbur said. “Raising money for schools can help provide a source of clean water, which can give many girls the opportunity to go to school.”

Brown said she thinks Free the Children is different from other charity organizations at Park.
“It’s a whole different idea. We want to make a difference globally, not just in the community,” Brown said.

The group will meet regularly to plan its year long campaign towards the two issues. Students interested in joining can contact adviser Jeff Cohen in room C361 for more details.