RRHS teachers help kids ‘Reach for the Stars’

Ken Johnston

Rainy River High School teachers took their casual Fridays from last year and made them into something out of the ordinary.
A popular practise at many workplaces is to allow employees to dress in casual clothes for a nominal donation to a charity. Last year the RRHS teachers donated $836 and decided to give it to the local Reach for the Stars program.
Reach for the Stars is in its second year and involves offering assistance to kids who may not get the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities due to financial constraints.
The program received a one time $5,400 grant last year and pretty much used it all up helping about 40 kids do everything from take music lessons to play hockey and high school sports.
“This is a big boost for this year,” said Reach for the Stars coordinator Monique Gall. They are currently fundraising for this year’s program and are also taking applications for assistance.
They are available at both RRHS and Riverview School, at the Rainy River Recreation Centre and the Rainy River Toy Library.
All applications are kept confidential and a committee comprised of 12 people reviews each request.
The program is modeled after a similar one in Kenora and sets out to allow youth to respect, build esteem, achieve, face challenge, improve health, have fun, learn to organize, develop social skill, learn teamwork, experience arts and culture and above all learn to be successful.
Children up to 19 are eligible. For more information contact Monique at 852-4446 weekdays or pick up an application form at the locations mentioned above.