Members of the North Crowley High School Key Club accept a plaque from KLTY-FM honoring their fundraising for Haiti. Front row from left, Svenja Mujagic and Billy Nguyen. Middle row, Matthew Porter, Valerie Valtierra, Dai Nguyen, Shea Santos, Janani Sundaresan and Shayla Pickett. Back row, Himani Singh, Francie Chang, Bryan Nguyen, KLTY morning host Frank Reed, Key Club sponsor Donna Newsham and NCHS accounts receivables secretary Candise Dye.
A Key listener: NCHS staffer reacts to radio show, doubling campuses' donation to Haiti (Posted 3/4/2010 11:04 am)
Note to bosses: Letting your employees listen to the radio at their desk could pay off big-time.

The North Crowley High School Key Club had collected $4,524.85 for Haiti relief through a fundraising drive during the last week of January in which students could donate at least $3 for the reward of being able to break the dress code and wear jeans to school on a Friday. This was at the top of NCHS accounts receivables secretary Candise Dye’s mind as she was listening to KLTY-FM (94.9) in her office.

“I heard them say they would match any donations made for Haiti on that day,” Dye said. “I called them and got us in.”

KLTY officials had teamed with Compassion Ministries of Colorado Springs, Colo., to match the donations, so the North Crowley effort — a joint project of the high school and the ninth-grade campus — resulted in a gift of $9,049.70 to help Haiti residents recover from the 7.0-magnitude earthquake on Jan. 12 that devastated much of that nation.

KLTY morning-show host Frank Reed came to the school Friday to present a plaque commemorating the donation, with Key Club sponsor Donna Newsham and club officers accepting the plaudits.

Of course, Dye consulted Newsham before calling KLTY, and Newsham was quick to give her approval.

“We had they money collected, but we had not assigned it,” Newsham said. “I said, ‘Let’s see what we can do.’”

Newsham estimated that 1,400 to 1,500 students donated to the effort, and some gave $10 or $20. About 800 NCHS students participated, with the rest coming from the ninth-grade campus.

“We probably had a higher percentage at the ninth-grade campus than we did here,” Newsham said.

Dye was impressed with the students’ generosity.

“They’re not doing well,” she said of the some of the students’ family financial situations. “They really couldn’t afford it, but they gave anyway.”

And that shows the mettle of today’s teenagers.

“People’s generosity really shows up at times like these,” Key Club member Valerie Valtierra said. “Teenagers are really starting to step up to the forefront.”

A connection to Haiti helped, Key Clubber Francie Chang added.

“They have a Key Club in Haiti,” she said. “So we weren’t just reaching out to people, but to people we have a connection with.”

Newsham had said that before the club decided to do the jeans-day fundraiser, she and her students were looking for an avenue to collect and donate goods.

“You have to find some agency to take the goods, and it’s hard in the DFW area to find an organization like that,” she said.

Student Janani Sundaresan added, “It was good to be accessible to other ways of donations.”

The North Crowley Key Club has been recognized in the past for its programs and services, and it was able to donate even more for Haiti during one of its triennial blood drives that took place Jan. 22. Being able to assist means a lot to the students.

“It felt great knowing we helped other people in Haiti,” said NCHS Key Club president Dai Nguyen, who is in his fourth year of Key Club. “This is one of the biggest amounts we ever raised.”

And not lost on Dye and Newsham are the facts that Dye happened to be listening to KLTY, a Christian music station, when the announcement was made.

“This will truly be a blessing for the people in Haiti,” Dye said.