FERGUS – Students at St. Joseph Catholic School have raised funds to provide much needed vaccinations for families in Guatemala through One by One: The Latin America Project.
The project was founded by a dedicated group of teachers in Guelph who, for over 20 years now, have worked with local leaders in Guatemalan communities to help address people’s needs in relieving poverty, advancing education and promoting health and wellness.
An important player in spearheading this work has been Peter Ingram, a former principal at Wellington Catholic District School Board.
Ingram has worked for many years with St. Joseph Catholic School in Fergus to raise money to construct sidewalks and streets and provide a well to the villagers to generate clean drinking water.
This year, however, with misfortune caused as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new initiative became priority.
The two Guatemalan villages sponsored by One by One were unable to afford COVID-19 vaccinations.
Hearing this news, St. Joseph Catholic School jumped to action organizing two fundraisers.
The first, a Valentine’s fundraiser and the second, a bracelet sale that allowed the purchase of personally crafted bracelets by local villagers.
Together the initiatives raised nearly $2,800.
“The funds raised were enough to vaccinate all the villagers,” shared Todd Goodwin, principal of St. Joseph Catholic School. “Such phenomenal news.”
To learn more about how you can help One by One, visit www.onebyonecanada.ca.
