Ryan Brennecke / The BulletinHannah Palubeski, from left, Maya Gritzner and Scout Gesuale have organized a holiday charity drive for Heifer International at Rimrock Expeditionary Learning Middle School (RELMS) to help purchase a livestock animal for a family in another country.

The sound of coins clanking into jars filled the hallway at Rimrock Expeditionary Alternative Learning Middle School on Tuesday morning, as packs of kids romped past Director Roger White on their way to class.

Three students, Maya Gritzner, 11, Scout Gesuale, 12, and Hannah Palubeski, 11, recently started a holiday fundraiser for Heifer International, a global nonprofit that provides self-sustaining income opportunities, mainly in the form of livestock, for needy families in developing countries. The girls are calling the project “Change for a Change,” encouraging each student crew to collect spare coins from dryers, couches and pockets. The crew that collects the most money gets hot chocolate and cookies after the holiday break. Depending on how much money is earned, they may also get to decide what type of animal is given.

There are six crews at REALMS. Each is a group of sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders that meets three times a week and works together on projects throughout the year. They are “much like houses in the Harry Potter series,” Maya said in an email.

Maya thought of the idea for a fundraiser in October, after receiving a Heifer International catalog in the mail. The nonprofit’s model of giving is based on the proverb, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Donations include a flock of chickens, goats, cows, water buffalo, bees and even classes in managing a small business. Families that receive a gift from Heifer are required to pay it forward by giving the first female animal offspring to another family in need.

“They had this gift ark for $5,000, where they send two of each animal out, and I’m wondering how on earth anyone would have that much money,” Maya said Tuesday. She talked to her parents and pitched the idea to White.

“I never know whether a student will follow through, but she seemed pretty committed,” he said Tuesday. “My philosophy is that I support them, but I don’t do the work for them. It’s really their idea.”

After a period of research and working with White to find the right approach, the girls presented their fundraiser to the entire school during a community meeting Friday. They made posters and created a prominent display near the school’s entrance. The drive got off to a slow start Monday, with only a few students dropping change into the buckets. But by Tuesday morning, things had begun to turn around.

“I’ve seen lots of people, whether before lunch or between classes, crowding around it and looking in trying to see who has the most money,” Scout said.

Maya calls Heifer’s gift ark their “ultimate, almost nearly impossible goal.” They would be equally happy earning $120, which would allow them to buy a goat for a family in another country.

REALMS just finished a big wreath fundraiser that benefited the school. White said he likes to see students looking outside of themselves and raising money for others in need, too.

“Middle school kids are capable of a lot more than we think they are,” he said. “They are capable of thoughtful work and service to their community through their schools or other organizations. It’s great for folks to remember that middle school is not a holding tank. It’s a place for really cool things to happen.”

Anyone inspired by the girls’ project can donate to Heifer International online, or support the school’s donation by dropping off spare change at the school by Dec. 19, White said.

— Reporter, 541-383-0354, jrockow@bendbulletin.com