Schools

Sixth Grade Students at Croswell-Lexington Middle School Raise $250 for Dexter Relief Fund

Students participated in a "hat day" fundraiser to help Dexter middle school families affected by the March 15 tornado.

Sixth grader Quinlan Western of Croswell, a city 25 miles north of Port Huron, is like all young boys. He enjoys sports, videogames and hanging out with friends. When it comes to helping others, however, volunteering is quickly becoming second nature.

When Quinlan turned on his television on March 15, scenes of devastation in Dexter left in the wake of an haunted the Croswell-Lexington Middle School student.

"Some of the pictures on the news showed how bad it was in Dexter; entire homes were gone," Quinlan said.

Find out what's happening in Dexterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

That's when he sprung into action, reaching out to Principal Mark Benson to brainstrom ways students could help with relief efforts.

"Quinney came to my office visibly disturbed and wanted to help raise money for Dexter," Benson said. "I thought it was a great idea, so we started brainstorming ideas for ways to maximize our greatest gain."

Find out what's happening in Dexterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The two ultimately came up with a "hat day" fundraiser, allowing students to make a donation to the recovery effort in exchange for wearing a favorite hat to school.

The idea paid off, and through the help of building teachers and staff, students helped raise $250.

"It's unbelievable what we accomplished," Quinlan said. "We're going to send the check to so teachers can buy gift cards and food to help families affected by the tornado.

"I was very happy to see so many students participate. It was the best feeling, and I hope to participate in more fundraising opportunities in the future."

Benson said he was touched to see students, who have no connection to Dexter, come together to help another community.

"Quinney has a good heart. He's very empathetic and sincere," Benson said. "Our donation was due to the efforts of all of our students. The whole experience was nice to be a part of."


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here