NEW PALESTINE – Hope Center Indy received a donation of more than $10,000 thanks to three high school students and a generous New Palestine community.
Hoops for Hope was a program last month at a New Palestine High School basketball game.
NPHS seniors Bella Brownfield, Cara Payton and Jocelynn Flagle are in a service learning class and coordinated the fundraiser during and after school for three months.
They designed and sold shirts the week leading up to the game and secured corporate sponsors and raffle baskets. They raised $5,000 on their own but also secured an anonymous “angel donor” who matched all the donations, making the grand total $10,005.
Hope Center Indy, just west of New Palestine, supports survivors of sex trafficking, sexual exploitation and addiction.
NPHS service learning teacher Jeremy Large said the students used communication, critical thinking, adaptability, accounting, marketing logistics and more.
“It was fun to see them utilize a wide variety of real-world skills to accomplish their goals,” Large said in an email. “Most importantly, it was awesome to see them experience first-hand the power of philanthropy and community.”
The students also blogged about their experience at https://nphsbellabrownfield.weebly.com/.
“We chose to help the Hope Center because my group members and I are very passionate about the dangers of human trafficking,” Bella Brownfield wrote in the blog. “Currently it’s estimated that 26.7 million people are being trafficked right now, and the United States is the No. 1 consumer of human trafficking. We also chose to help the Hope Center because they are an organization in our community that is helping to stop the cycle of human trafficking.”
For more on the organization, visit hopecenterindy.org.
