Students Weave Hope

[Herb Fellow]

With the story of the Lost Boys of Sudan still fresh in their minds, all the students and staff at Skaneateles High School took 40 minutes Thursday to make 600 hemp bracelets in the color of the flag of southern Sudan.

The bracelet-making followed a showing of the movie "God Grew Tired of Us" and a keynote talk by one of the Sudanese refugees, Angelo Kiir. Two other refugees and students also spoke.

The Lost Boys are young Sudanese men who were among thousands forced to leave their homes in southern Sudan during the country's civil war.

The bracelets, which sell for $1, will be sold as part of a larger fundraiser for the medical clinics being set up by Skaneateles residents in the Sudan, said Interact Club co-advisor Lori Ruhlman. The event is sponsored by PRIDE, which stands for Personal Responsibility in Determining Excellence.

Members of the school's Interact Club have already raised more than $2,000 by selling T-shirts.

"The response has been unbelievable," said student Bea Walton, a PRIDE committee member.

The presentation showed the needs of people in the Sudan, and how local people can and have made a giant difference, said Skaneateles High School Principal Georgette Hoskins.

Source: The Post Standard
Copyright: 2008, The Post Standard
Contact: Staff writer Elizabeth Doran
Website: Syracuse.com