Grade 12 Orillia Secondary School (OSS) students are making one final push to make a difference in our community that reverberates around the globe.
Max Odlozinski and Peyton Nie, the co-presidents of the OSS Students for Change Team, are running a public auction that is set to close tomorrow. The auction is raising proceeds for the Red Cross Humanitarian Society and will be going towards helping civilians who have been impacted by the war in Ukraine.
“As a club, we meet every week to discuss what our next initiative will be for us to focus on,” Odlozinski explained. “In March we were seeing photos and videos of the civilians who were caught in the crossfires, and we thought it would be a good idea to gain support locally and see what we can do to help.”
Despite being almost 8,000 kilometres away, Nie says Canadians can still make a huge impact on the lives of Ukrainians.
“We threw a treat sale earlier in the month to raise proceeds and just the awareness being spread in the school really helped people become aware of the issues,” she said. “The motto of our team is any change can make a difference.”
The fundraising goal for the students was $1,000 and they have already raised nearly $1,300.
“I think it just shows the support we have not only at OSS but also in the community,” Odlozinski said.
Some of the auction items up for grabs are a $100 gift card to Sarahannedipity, gift cards to AlleyCats Music & Art, Manticore Books, and student-made pieces from the woodshop class. To see all the items that are available, click here.
“We want to thank all the businesses who really helped us out with this,” Odlozinski says. “It’s been so great seeing a community come together to go toward one common goal,” Nie added.
The students say the support is motivating and makes them strive to keep going with their charity efforts.
“It’s a great feeling to have the community helping to make a difference,” Nie says. “It’s been an incredible and rewarding experience.”
Odlozinski and Nie thank OSS students and club members for their donations and fundraising efforts with their final initiative of the school year.
