By Ian Lockwood
Staff Writer
Members of Costa’s Lend-A-Hand and Manhattan Beach For Refugees club lend their hands to Syrian Refugees by hosting their first movie night fundraiser.
Established seven years ago, Lend-A-Hand club’s goal is to help raise awareness for the homeless of Los Angeles. The club disbanded a couple years ago but current club president, Margo Mel, brought the club back when she came to Costa. Initially the club solely helped the homeless that lived on Skid Row, but this year the club has also focused on giving aid to Syrian refugees.
“My older brother told me about the club, but it disbanded before I went to Costa and I knew I wanted to start it up again,” Mel said. “It was important to me because I wanted people to see the harsh realities of life outside our bubble.”
Manhattan Beach For Refugees’ goal is to show the community about the conflicts going on around the world involving Syrian refugees. The club was founded last summer by junior Maya MacGregor, when she was inspired by her grandparents who are Palestinian to start the club.
“I hope to bring awareness to our community of what’s going on outside our neighborhood,” MacGregor said. “People don’t realize how much money is needed to help these people around the world who have lost their phone.”
Lend-A-Hand club have partnered with Manhattan Beach for Refugees and are planning a movie night that will be held at the Mira Costa Auditorium on March 28. They will be screening “Salam Neighbor”, a documentary that follows two American filmmakers going to live in a Syrian Refugee camp.
“Our goal of the screening is to help Costa students and Manhattan Beach residents better understand refugee life,” Manhattan Beach for Refugees club president Maya MacGregor said. “And also to help raise money to aid the millions of displaced people around the world.”
Both clubs decided to show the film after spanish teacher Felise Shapiro showed them a documentary by the same filmmakers, Chris Temple and Zachary Ingrasci in class. “Salam Neighbor” highlights the Syrian Refugee crisis and shows how it is a humanitarian problem. The film has a campaign to raise money to help the refugees get out of the camps and be able to live on their own.
“Margot mentioned about screening the film, and my mom produced it so it was a perfect way to bring this crisis to people of our community,” MacGregor said.
This will be Lend-A-Hand club’s first large fundraiser, as in the past they have hosted bake sales and donation drives to generate funds for . The club’s bake sales are the club’s main source of income and uses money to buy products and make sandwiches that they deliver to the people who live on Skid Row. Manhattan Beach For Refugee’s also host their own bake sales and fundraisers, the funds raised from these events are donated to the nonprofit International Rescue Committee, that brings aids to refugees around the world.
”Our last bake sales really went we’ll, and help us raised a lot of money,” Mel said. “But our clothes drives haven’t been as successful but still help.”
Lend-A-Hand club meets on fridays in room 72 at lunch to discuss on how they can further help the homeless. Manhattan Beach For Refugees meets every other tuesday in room 205 at lunch to discuss and see how they can bring aid to refugees around the world.
”This club has taught me how to interact and communicate effectively with people that are drastically different from me, and shown me how lucky we are to live where we are and go to school at Costa,” said Mel.
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