Students' "loose change" to help victims of slavery

Students' "loose change" to help victims of slavery

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Story Published: Apr 5, 2007 at 1:58 PM PDT

Story Updated: Apr 5, 2007 at 4:29 PM PDT

By John Sharify

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SAMMAMISH, Wash. - In one hand sixth-grader Ida Badri has her morning latte. In the other, crayon to create a life size silhouette.

Rachel Clark is happy to be Ida's subject. "Well, each subject represents one slave freed," says Rachel, also in the sixth grade at Pine Lake Middle School in Sammamish.

Eventually, the cutout of Rachel will join the others hanging on the walls at the middle school. There are 32 hanging there now. Each silhouette represents someone forced to work in a sweatshop, or forced into prostitution. Many of them children.

"These slaves, they don't have anything. All they have is each other and so I really appreciated my family and really it's just a great reminder of how lucky we are in this world," says 14-year-old Molly Knutson.

The middle schoolers are taking part in a national student-fundraising effort. It's called 'Loose Change to Loosen Chains.' The fundraiser began in March and ended today.

"This was a total school effort, " said P.J. Lagow, a seventh-grader at Pine Lake Middle School.

With the final push these past few days, the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders raised $15,300. That's enough money to free 45 slaves, according to the human rights agency International Justice Mission. The mission works to rescue victims of slavery and sexual exploitation.

The Sammamish students have learned something no book can teach them. It's that they can make a difference. Each one of them.

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