El Paso Directory - Rojas First Graders Help Make A Difference

Rojas students helping families beat the heat

Students in the 1st grade at Robert R. Rojas Elementary are helping their community and learning to become better citizens. For the past three years, all four 1st grade classes have written letters asking local businesses to donate fans. This year with the help of Dollar General, Rojas students collected 120 fans that were handed over to the Extreme Weather Task Force.

“They are learning about their community and their role in it,” says Assistant Principal Chelaine Marion. “The ‘Fans for Friends’ letter writing campaign raises their awareness of the needs of others. Their actions are getting business involved and helping area families.”

There are 85 students in the four 1st grade classes that taught by Edwina Ginithan, Margie Duarte, Yolanda Nieto, and Christina Martinez.

“We teach them to help and that’s what they did,” says Ginithan. “We want them to continue to do this as they get older and find ways to help others.”

On hand for the presentation were Robert Nieto, Dollar General District Manager, Joe Acosta from Sun Metro, Ray Resendez from the Texas Department of Public Safety and John Concha from the El Paso Fire Department. The 120 fans donated by the school will be stored and distributed to families in the El Paso area by the Extreme Weather Taskforce. If you would like to donate a fan, you can drop them off at any City Fire Station. To get more information or ask for a fan, please call 211.