A student group from Whitby School known as Dumbledore’s Army planned a fundraiser to help hurricane relief in Puerto Rico. The event, entitled “Harry Potter’s Hurricane Healers”, co-sponsored by the Whitby Parents Association (Whitby PA), took place at Whitby's Performing Art Center on Thursday, October 26th. "I’m proud to say that this fundraiser was designed and hosted by 5th through 8th grade students," said Phil Lohmeyer, Student Activities Coordinator for the Upper School. Beth Ferrer, Community Service Coordinator, added "The students helped plan everything: the bake sale, trivia contest, raffle, and more. Not only did they make it a fun event, they developed their fundraising skills while also contributing to the rebuilding of Puerto Rico." A 7th-grade student video series “What’s Up Whitby?!” announced that the event raised more than $400 for Teens 4PR, and collected 410 medical supply donations for victims of Hurricane Maria.
Dumbledore’s Army, which includes over 20 Whitby Upper School students and staff members, met daily for over three weeks to plan this event. The student -made bake sale sold items including Hogwarts House Cupcakes, Sorting Hat Cookies, and Dumbledore’s Lemon Drops. The Trivia Contest created by 7th graders became part of the Upper School’s “Color Cup Challenge,” with the Blue Team winning the event by earning 36 total points. For each medical supply donated, the attendee was rewarded with raffle tickets for a chance to win prizes. This included Harry Potter “Pop!” action figures, a Muggles poster, and an official Hogwarts Magic Wand.
The funds raised and medical supplies collected will benefit Teens 4PR, a non-profit platform to help young people fundraise for hurricane relief and reconstruction in Puerto Rico. The island was devastated by two category 4-5 hurricanes, including Hurricane Maria, in September 2017. Teens 4PR has held successful fundraising events in Brooklyn, NY, Washington, DC, Bucks County, PA, and now, Greenwich, CT. Additional funding for the Harry Potter’s Hurricane Healers event was provided by the Whitby PA. The Parents Association also supplied parent volunteers to help with raffle tickets, donations, food distribution, and crowd control. In an official statement from Dumbledore’s Army, students stated: "We feel very proud of our work and are happy that we could help the people of Puerto Rico! Our hard work definitely paid off!" For more information about upcoming fundraising events at Whitby School already, email Phil Lohmeyer at plohmeyer@whitbyschool.org or Beth Ferrer at bferrer@whitbyschool.org.