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A Few Clouds Raising funds and global awareness
Hewlett High School juniors help support a middle school in Beijing
A typical day in Beijing for Danielle Slepyan, a junior at Hewlett High School, began with waking up at her host family’s home, eating breakfast, doing tai chi and making her way to Yucai School where she attended class from 8:30 a.m. through noon. She then ate lunch and ventured out with her eight classmates in the program to explore the city, visiting places such as the Temple of Heaven, Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and Great Wall.
Slepyan, 16, of Hewlett, and a scholarship recipient who studied abroad for four weeks through a China Institute program for high school students this summer was inspired by her experiences in Beijing. As a result of her time in China’s capital city and visiting the Dandelion School in July, she decided to start a charitable organization called Raffles for Change to raise money for the middle school in Beijing’s southern suburbs. “Visiting the Dandelion School really opened my mind to see how other people live in the world,” Slepyan said.
The Dandelion School, established in 2005, is a school for children of migrant workers. It provides them with an education they would not otherwise receive since they do not have what is called a Beijing hukou. A hukou is a household registration record implemented by the government to regulate internal migration of residents, store personal identification information and keep track of the distribution of government resources, which includes the rights to schooling. Since the government does not support the school, it relies on donations to operate.
Raffles for Change, launched in September by Slepyan and Emily L. Sonant, 16, another Hewlett High junior, offers raffles for $1 a piece for a culturally themed basket each month. The September basket was centered on China’s Lunar Festival and October’s theme was Nepali. Each basket costs the organization approximately $15 and is estimated to make $50 through raffle sales, yielding about $35 to donate to the Dandelion School each month.
“We’re not only raising money, we’re also raising awareness,” Sonant said, of the organization’s mission to educate the community, “one raffle at a time.” Through the cultural themed baskets, it is their goal to foster an increased sense of globalization and appreciation.
So far, Raffles for Change has raised about $200 and Danielle hopes to collect $1,000 by year’s end. The first event that the organization participated in was the Arts Below Sunrise Festival on Sept. 25. The cofounders of Raffles for Change have been supported by friends including Saad Ahmad, Kevin Ribiero, Suvi Bom, Imogen Castro, Julia Teschler and Lily Segarra in the early stages of their campaign.
Slepyan’s French teacher at Hewlett High School, Melanie Chang, emphasized the value in understanding other cultures and traditions by saying in an email: “This experience is not only a life changing experience for [Raffles for Change team] but for the students who will now be able to receive an education that they would not have received without this generous effort from Danielle and her helpers.”
Shenzhan Liao, the director of education at the China Institute, said that while other students who participated in the program came home feeling inspired by their experiences, Slepyan is the first student to go as far as establishing an organization to support the Dandelion School. “No matter how much money is raised that can be sent to the Dandelion School, it’s emotionally and spiritually a great support that the students there can feel,” Liao said.
The China Institute is a nonprofit organization founded in 1926 by American and Chinese educators and is the oldest bicultural group in the U.S. dedicated to China. The four-week summer program that Slepyan participated in encourages cultural understanding and awareness, as well as intensive, immersive language training through class work and living with host families.
“The whole point was to have someone you could relate to who can show you around,” Slepyan said of her time with her host sister, Joy Yang, 15, host brother, Yinoak Yang and host parents. She noted her gratitude for being able to see China from a native’s perspective, as opposed to through the eyes of a tourist.
Slepyan is the president of the world language club and history club and is a member of the math club, art club and chamber orchestra at Hewlett High School. She has been playing the cello since third grade. Her experience abroad catapulted her passion for international affairs, a field she hopes to study more in depth in college, as she strives to work for the United Nations.
