HOUSTON, MARCH 8, 2010: Soon after news broke of the Haitian earthquake, River Oaks Baptist School students, teachers, and parents began to ask what they could do to help the people of Haiti. R.O.B.S. decided to launch a fundraising initiative, Help Heal Haiti, to raise money for the American Red Cross. Dr. Nancy Hightower, Head of School, explains, “Character development is an essential part of the school’s mission. We appeal to students to consider what they can do personally to make a difference.”

Students devoted time and energy to setting up lemonade stands, conducting bake sales, washing dogs, babysitting, performing chores, holding car washes, and much more. One compassionate first grader even donated her money from the “tooth fairy.”

The School’s service education philosophy emphasizes education, as well as service. The fifth grade class chose a project layered with learning. Each student prepared a family dinner—planning the menu, shopping for ingredients, cooking the meal, and cleaning up the kitchen afterwards. Students then compared the cost of making the meal at home with the cost of buying it at a restaurant. Fifth grade families donated the difference in price, raising over $1,500 in the process.

At the end of the four-week drive, R.O.B.S. students had raised $15,523 for Haitian earthquake relief. Shawn Jackson, mother of two R.O.B.S. students, said that her children became particularly devoted to the cause: “The school-wide drive has heightened our children’s awareness of their place in the world and reinforced the perception that their efforts can lead to positive change.”

Founded in 1955, River Oaks Baptist School is recognized and respected for its rigorous academic curriculum, comprehensive character program, and strong athletic and fine arts offerings. R.O.B.S. has an enrollment of more than 860 students ranging from age 2 to eighth grade. River Oaks Baptist School helps every child build a firm foundation – academically, morally, spiritually, socially, and physically.