Alexis Penich gets a Kingdom Assignment donation from Joseph Jongsma owner of Caring Support from London (Photo courtesy Jackie Penich) 
Alexis Penich gets a Kingdom Assignment donation from Joseph Jongsma owner of Caring Support from London (Photo courtesy Jackie Penich)
Chatham

Teacher's project highlights importance of creativity and giving back

A Chatham educator is continuing her unique way of teaching her students how they can make a difference.

Grade 8s at Georges P Vanier are currently working on their Kingdom Project. Students get $25 each and are encouraged to use the money to make a positive impact in the world.

Teacher Cathy Bechard is the brains behind the project. According to Bechard, the project is based on Parable of the Talents, which talks about being able to multiply your money by using your personal abilities.

Bechard said the students are encouraged to use the money to make a difference and think of creative ways to do so.

"With their $25, they don't have to, but they are able to multiply their money if they want to. We encourage them to do that in a way that uses their talents," she explained. "For example, if someone loves to bake, they can bake cookies and sell them by the dozen and make more money that way."

Students must also find a charity or an organization that their money will go to in the end. They are especially encouraged to find a cause that resonates with them personally.

"If they have a family member that's been affected by heart problems or a stroke, they might want to choose the Heart and Stroke Foundation," Bechard explained. "I've had kids over the years who have been in the Ronald McDonald House in London themselves because of something medically they went through. So they might choose to give back to the Ronald McDonald house."

Bechard has been doing the project with her students for the past 15 years. This year, the students have to get more creative than ever because of COVID-19 and utilize socially distanced ways to get more donations.

Bechard said a lot of students have chosen to focus on helping out people who have been impacted by the pandemic, including donating to organizations that help with homelessness.

"I said this year more than ever we need to do our part to help someone out right now," said Bechard. "Lots of people are struggling in many different ways so what can we do, who can we help?'

Student Alexis Penich's initial idea was to donate muffins and coffee to the COVID-19 unit at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance.

"We decided that our COVID frontline workers deserve a thank you," she said.

By reaching out to local businesses and family members, Penich has already been able to turn her $25 into $500 as well as having collected food donations.

She said she now has an end goal of raising $2,000 and is expanding her initiative to include donations to the local emergency department, Chatham-Kent paramedics and patient transfer service employees.

"It's important. It teaches us self-worth and how to be a caring and supporting part of the community," said Penich. "It makes me feel like I'm doing something good in letting our frontline workers know I care and appreciate them"

Bechard said she has seen a wide range of ideas in the 15 years she's done the assignment including food drives and making homemade items to sell. Several students have also opted to make a worldwide difference by donating money to build a water well in a developing country.

In addition to getting creative with their ideas, she said students have also gotten creative with how to market their products or services including making websites.

"Social media gets a bad wrap sometimes and there's a lot of negativity around it," she said. "I tell [the students] this is something we can use social media for in a positive light to really get the word out there."

The Kingdom Assignment coincides with the 40 days of Lent. By Easter, the project will wrap up and students will contact their charity to donate whatever they have raised by that point.

"It's kind of all about realizing that one person can make a difference in our world," said Bechard. " You might just be a little Grade 8 student from Georges P Vanier school but you can definitely make a difference in someone's life."

Anyone wishing to donate to Penich's cause can email jandspenich@gmail.com. Bechard also recommends that people call Georges P Vanier if they wish to learn more about student's projects and if there is a specific one they may be interested in donating to.

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