6th-Grade Class Surpasses 'Iron Giraffe Challenge’ Fundraising Goal

We recently sat down with 6th-grade teacher Virginia Gammon and her class to learn more about their efforts during this year’s Iron Giraffe Challenge (IGC). These Mississippi students had a significant fundraising goal of $15,000—the cost to sponsor a new well in South Sudan—which they surpassed in just under five months. 

This school year is Gammon’s first teaching A Long Walk to Water. Salva’s story so inspired her students that they took the reins themselves and researched how they could fundraise for WFSS. When her students announced their $15,000 goal, Gammon attempted to talk her students into lowering their fundraising goal in order to be more realistic. But the kids had set their minds on drilling a new well for a vulnerable community. 

Gammon’s students started to brainstorm creative ways to raise money. They held a bake sale at their school’s “Trunk-or-Treat” event, sold turkey grams near Thanksgiving, held concession stands at their school’s basketball games, and one student even did a Superbowl football pool. To quickly reach their impressive goal, every classroom received water or milk jugs for students to place their money in each day during Catholic Schools Week. The top three classes would receive prizes from the Catholic School Fundraiser. 

Gammon’s 6th-grade class has already been featured in two local news stories in their state. Click the station name to read and watch the broadcasts: WXXV and WLOX. 

We asked Gammon what advice she would give to other educators thinking about joining the IGC, her response was, “Do it. Your students are only capable of what you let them be.” Gammon knew her students were capable of great things and wanted to encourage them to believe that too. “I wanted them to take the responsibility and the leadership, so I left this project in their hands. It’s inspiring to see them all work together to reach their goal, encourage each other, and talk about the importance of this subject.” 

We are so thankful and inspired by this group of young changemakers and can’t wait to see how far they take this project. Thank you for watering the seeds of change in South Sudan!