Foothills Sentry February 2020

Foothills Sentry Page 18 February 2020 Learn more at eocwd.com Cub Scout Pack 863 collected 335 coats, jackets and hoodies for Orange County’s homeless during the month of January. The coats were donated to Grandma’s House of Hope, Orange County Rescue Mission, Casa Teresa and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul OC. Cub Scouts spent several weekends promoting their service efforts after Mass at St. Norbert Catholic Church, where the pack is based. From left, Scouts Aidan Cameron, Yazan Salameh and Alec Boserup, along with mom Yazmin Rojas, display the coats col- lected. Longtime fourth grade Villa Park Elementary teacher Sharon Roland responded to her students’ concerns about the one billion an- imals that have been affected by the fires inAustralia. The students wanted to help. They made posters to put around the school, and went to other classes to talk about the need for donations. In two weeks, the students raised over $2,000 for WIRES (Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service). Many emptied their piggy banks to help, and donated their own money. For every $5 donated, they got a raffle ticket for a stuffed kangaroo on display in the office. The lunchtime Maker’s Club also got involved. Librarian Gina O’Dowd stepped up with the sug- gestion that the kids cut and sew bat wraps for the injured bats, and made 3-D koalas to raffle. The VPE kids love knowing that they are helping, Roland re- ported. “The thing I like so much about this,” she said, “is there is no reward other than the feeling of knowing that we have helped animals that have been injured/ burned and lost their habitats.” Sophia Parra, fourth grade, VPE. Ellie Brault, fifth grade, VPE. Eleanor Hutchinson, fourth grade. VPE students spent their lunch- time making little pouches for injured bats in Australia. VPE students send aid to Australia’s wildlife