By Anna Guido
Enquirer contributor

NORTH BEND - A dairy cow, mosquito bed nets and mouth surgery aren't your typical Christmas gifts.

But in the Three Rivers Local School District, such gift-giving is a tradition. A growing tradition.

Corey Weimer, 7, a first grader at Meredith Hitchens Elementary School in Addyston, holds the duck that he got for helping in the World Vision fundraiser. (Ernest Coleman photo)

The World Vision community project launched in 1999 at Taylor High School expanded this year into all five district schools. Students and staff raise money during a 10-day drive early in December, buy gifts from the World Vision "Gifts of Hope" catalog, then choose recipients for those gifts.

World Vision is a Federal Way, Wash.-based, nonprofit organization that raises money for the poor, primarily in Third World countries.

"We're helping the poorest of the poor throughout the world," said senior Jamie Golsch, 17, of Addyston.

Golsch and senior David Franke, 18, of Cleves, raffled themselves as dates for the Christmas dance this year, raising $170 for World Vision. Golsch said some teachers let students chew gum in class for a quarter. Others offer to dye their hair or pierce an eyebrow if students meet fund-raising goals.

This year, the district of 2,172 raised nearly $15,000, a record, said Jane Hennessey, high school librarian and project coordinator.

Mike Peak (from the class of 1970), a longtime World Vision donor who introduced the district to the organization, has made a commitment to match the school district's holiday project totals every year.

Last year, $7,558.56 was raised by the three schools involved: Taylor High, Three Rivers Middle School and C.T. Young Elementary.

This year, Hitchens Elementary joined the effort. Students there raised $1,500, all of which will be used to buy ducks, teacher Judy Bingle said.

"We were worried that it would be hard for these little guys to understand, that's why we went with buying the ducks," Bingle said.

Lizzie Lakamp, 6, a first-grader from Miami Township, contributed $2.

"I asked my mom and dad if I could bring in money for ducks for the poor," Lizzie said. Her class was one of two rewarded with toy stuffed ducks Friday for raising the most money.

About World Vision

World Vision was founded in 1950. Last year, the 25,000-member non-profit organization, based in Federal Way, Wash., raised $565 million worldwide, spokeswoman Cymmie Knutsen said.

The funds served 85 million people in nearly 100 countries.

For information, visit www.worldvision.org.

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