Regina high school students raise money for refugees with Awake-A-Thon

Students at Sheldon-Williams Collegiate high school in Regina are hoping to raise $15,000 for refugees with an interesting fundraiser — staying awake for 24 hours.

We thought there's no better time to help refugees around the world than right now.- Lucas Kuffner, Grade 12 student

The fundraiser is a 24-hour Awake-A-Thon. For students to participate they each have to raise $100 in pledges. The school took some time to decide which organization they want their money to go towards, before finally voting on the Regina Open Door Society.

"When we see how many people are being displaced in Syria, we thought there's no better time to help refugees around the world than right now," said Lucas Kuffner, a Grade 12 student at the school. 

Kuffner said most students at the school are informed on the issue of refugees, and anxious to help. 

"The overall reaction that we've gotten from our students, as well as our staff, and even the community around our event, has just been overwhelmingly positive," he said. "I think that we have so much positive feedback right now that there's just no time to deal with the negative."

Kuffner said people can give a donation to any Sheldon Williams student with a pledge form. The Awake-A-Thon will be Feb. 5, 2016. It will include lots of activities to keep students awake, such as hockey, dances, and video game tournaments.  

Kuffner hopes the money raised in this "Welcome Home Project" will help refugees in their new lives.

"As a student body, when we get behind something, we really can make a difference."