October 23-27, 2023 was the introductory 2023-2024 HOPE Week at Oak Knoll!
HOPE Week gives Oak Knoll students the opportunity to raise funds for a specific non-profit organization. The organizations can include a variety of charitable causes– Bridges, the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, or even raising funds for animal shelters. HOPE week, which stands for Helping Other People Everywhere, is a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness and funds for various causes around the world. There are various ways to help fundraise: selling bagels, bake sales, Friday dressdowns, or even organizing a drive through Oak Knoll! This week, each participating student presented their organization to the OKS Upper School in Monday’s school-wide homeroom. Each student explained what their organization entailed and why they were prompted to choose it. Bagels were sold on Tuesday and Thursday, and on both days the bagels completely sold out!
Here were the organizations for the first Hope Week:
- Bridge of Books (Janie Cosmi ‘27)
- Bridges (Grace Bienstock ‘26 and Aureliana Basso-Wiideman ‘26)
- Nature Conservancy (Emily Van Orden ‘25)
- Save the Children (Catherine Luzzi ‘26)
Catherine Luzzi, a sophomore, chose to fundraise for Save the Children, where all funds go towards the protection, education, and health care for children across the world. “This organization is important to support as Oak Knoll students because we as kids are blessed. We have an amazing education and resources at our disposal that other kids around the world don’t have. It’s important to give back and help give all children the same type of education, healthcare, and safety that we have access to” says Catherine Luzzi ‘26. To learn more about each organization, look back on the HOPE Week emails sent last week!
Here’s the schedule for the next three HOPE Weeks:
- HOPE Week 2: 1/31-2/4
- HOPE Week 3: 2/28-3/4
- HOPE Week 4: 3/28-4/4
Four people will be selected to raise money for each week. If you are interested, you can find the application on MYOKS! If you have any questions, email koetje.cassidy.24@oakknoll.org.