Italian SAF Station participates in Vaccinate a Village
The Vicenza High School Red Cross Club is an extremely active group of youth volunteers in the Vicenza Military Community. But in October 2014, they decided they wanted to take their service efforts to a global level. The American Red Cross Measles & Rubella Initiative project, Vaccinate a Village, seemed just like the avenue the club was looking for to expand their involvement. The project helps spread Measles awareness and raises funds to help vaccinate individuals against the deadly disease in high-risk areas of Africa.
Antonio Tartaglia, a senior at Vicenza High School and the Fundraising Officer for the club, assembled a team for the project and they created a Vaccinate a Village project proposal. They set the goal to vaccinate “one village” or to raise $500 by February 2015.
The first fundraising event was held on November 28th, 2014, the infamous Black Friday, and the students gift-wrapped items purchased at the PX shopping center for donations. The fundraiser exceeded expectations, with over $400 raised. The students were well on their way to reaching their goal of vaccinating one village.
To complete their goal, the students planned a second fundraiser, a bake sale held in January 23rd 2015, in hopes of raising the remaining $60.00 needed to “Vaccinate a Village”. Thanks to the amazing generosity of the Vicenza Military Community, the students far exceeded expectations and raised an additional $500!
This dedicated group of students far eclipsed their original goal and now have raised enough money to vaccinate two villages within the original time frame, raising $1000 in total since November 2014.
The entire club has been very involved with the project since day one – creating posters, baking baked goods, and participating in the fundraising events themselves. The Red Cross Club students are a dedicated group of youth volunteers who are committed to helping make their community, and our world, a better place.
We are very proud of our Vicenza High School Red Cross Club members and know that they will continue to inspire the community with their commitment to public service.
