O'sider hosts fundraiser for Guatemalan kids

After spending part of his summer doing service in Guatemala through the Global Leadership Adventures program, Scott Elias, an Oceanside High School student, decided he wanted to give back to the community he visited. After talking to Mary, a Baldwin resident and hair stylist, they decided to go forward with a back-to-school haircut fundraiser. The idea was that Mary would cut hair for $10-15 with all of the proceeds going to buy school supplies for the Guatemalan children.
Elias, also the president of the World Interest Club at OHS, gathered his fellow members to help organize and advertise the event, which was on Aug. 30 at the Elias' house. Members of the community came out and Elias raised nearly $500 for Escuela Rural Pueblo Viejo, Tecpan Chimaltenango, an elementary school in rural Guatemala that is unique in that it is home to the Kak'chikél culture and is one of the only schools in Guatemala that teaches the Kak'chikél language in addition to Spanish. 
Elias is planning to return to Guatemala to deliver the school supplies and plans on creating a book full of the photos he took of the children and school when he visited.