Xianghai Middle School

ICF Vice President Jim Harris traveled to Jilin Province in late July 2007 to deliver a gift to Xianghai Middle School from students at Tower Rock Elementary School in Prairie du Sac, WI. The gift was donated by Farit, a student at Tower Rock, who created and sold note cards at his school last year to raise money for endangered species (click here to read more about this project). The Xianghai school is close beside Xianghai Nature Reserve, and its students have been actively learning about cranes, the east Asia flyway, and how they can help conserve wetlands.

Farit's gift will support student learning and activities about the environment and art at Xianghai Middle School. Similar to the students at Tower Rock, the middle school art teacher, Shi Yanqiu, worked with her students to make art for a new set of note cards -- about Xianghai and its rare birds. Another non-profit organization, Art in a Box, from New York, provided art materials to the school for this project.

Artist Val DuBasky visited Ms. Shi and a group of ten students at the school this summer. Val leads Art in a Box, dedicated to using art to enrich and empower the lives of children. Using the student artwork, Art in a Box and ICF have developed a set of note cards, which are available to purchase through ICF's Gift Shop. Proceeds from the notecards will go to Xianghai Middle School to support future environment and art activities. Click here to meet several talented students from Xianghai that are benefitting from this program!

We are grateful to Farit, Val DuBasky, and Shi Yanqiu. Each one of them demonstrates how individual caring can make a difference. We especially thank Farit and the other students at Tower Rock School!