(Left to right) Benicia Middle Schoolers Ava Mainini, Michelle Fernandez, Jada Rivas, Caitlyn Begbie, teacher Siretta Tuttle, Ella Beatson, Juliana Leonares, and Jiana Lyons stand at a table helping to raise money for the family of English teacher Matthew Cunningham who had their Texas home damaged in Hurricane Harvey.(Courtesy photo)

Everyone needs a helping hand every once and awhile. When a group of middle of Benicia Middle School students heard the family of one of the school’s teachers was affected by Hurricane Harvey, they decide to offer that helping hand.
Benicia Middle Schoolers Pharrah Barrow, Ella Beatson, Julia Rogers, Kelly Chamberlain, Caitlyn Begbie, Jiana Lyons, Jada Rivas, Juliana Leonares, Michelle Fernandez and Ava Mainini found out the family of Matthew Cunningham, an eighth-grade English teacher, had damage done to their home during Hurricane Harvey. They decided to start a donation fundraiser to help out Cunningham’s family.
The students have raised more than $1,664 ,so far and that is not including the checks they have also received. They did this by going out every morning before school began and asking for donations. The students also hung up posters, baked cookies, made donations boxes and rang a cowbell when someone made a donation.
The middle schoolers originally set out for a goal of $200, and the fundraiser has far exceeded their expectations. They will be sending Cunningham’s family a signed card of support and transfer all the donation money to them soon.
The donation fundraiser was a part of the Kindness Campaign, a program started at the middle school four years ago to help celebrate and support people. The Kindness Campaign involves students enrolled in Siretta Tuttle’s web design class. Each year, students choose a project to tackle and after seeing the email Cunningham sent to faculty about his family, they chose to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey.
Tuttle said all the credit should go to the students involved with the fundraising campaign. She along with faculty members Pat Hall, Eric Dutton, Heidi Mejias and Megan Nelson were glad to help the kids with the more adult aspects of the project. Tuttle said the students always surprised with the result of the Kindness Campaign.
“I am so proud of them,” Tuttle said. “They are the ones who did this, they really are. We do the legwork, but they then become citizens that do this on their own. If they did not have to have a teacher out there, they would do it anyway.”
Tuttle loves to hear what her students are planning to do next because they are so excited about it. The students themselves have been recognized by announcements, and Principal Damian Scott sent an email to parents commending the students.
“They have done some stuff here on the campus to thank the departments and maintenance,” Tuttle said. “At one point they had everyone in the gym. They do these huge events.”
“The sky’s the limit,” she added. “I don’t know what’s next, but I know it will be big and I know that it will have an impact.”

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