Kids & Family
Evanston Second-Grader Raises Funds for Typhoon Victims In His Grandparents' Hometown
Evan Benz sends a message of hope to his family in the Philippines while building community here in Evanston.
Evan Benz is now famous -- and for good reason. He helped bring the Washington Elementary School community together last Friday, November 15th, and he deserves all the attention in the world. Evan can and should tell all of his friends that he did something very, very important. He helped make a difference in lives across the world.
Following Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, Geri Martinez-Benz suggested a fundraising idea to her son after they saw a photo of two girls selling lemonade and iced tea to raise funds for victims.
“Evan was all for it because he loves the Philippines," Martinez-Benz says. "He was there early this year and he enjoyed spending the time with his grandparents and cousins who he seldom sees.”
On Thursday, November 14th, Evan's mom sent this email to the Washington School family listserve:
Hi all, please support my son Evan's (2nd Grade) fund drive to help the families affected by Typhoon Haiyan in his grandparents’ hometown in Ormoc, Philippines. He (we) will be selling hot chocolate by the 1st/2nd grade playground Friday afternoon after school and all proceeds will go to the distribution of relief goods in that city. No donation is too small; they will add up and give families food to get them through the next day. Another way of donating is through this GoFundMe page I created for this purpose: http://www.gofundme.com/helpforormoc Thank you! Geri (Evan's mom)
The next day, families lined up after school in the chilly sunshine for a cup of Evan’s hot chocolate. Evan helped as his mom, a freelance graphic production artist and his dad, a former hearing officer for the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, kept the line moving as quickly as possible.
Find out what's happening in Evanstonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Later that night, his mother sent this message to the families of Washington School:
You guys ROCK!!! Evan's Hot Chocolate Fund Drive raised $358! We ran out of hot water too and I had 5 gallons/80 cups prepared. I am so sorry again to those who were waiting in line and didn't get the hot choco (and yet many of you still gave me your donation). Those who managed to get their drinks -- a lot of you handed me bills of $20s/$10s/$5s and told me to keep the change (the extra singles we brought didn't get used at all). Thank you so much for your incredible support to Evan and the people in Ormoc, Philippines. When I first imagined having this fund drive, I thought Evan and I were going to have a small thermos, bring a small foldable table to school and be very happy with Evan and I coming up with $40. I am still blown away when I think about what just happened this afternoon. The people from my hometown thank you! Will keep you guys updated when the money gets turned over to the Philippines.
Find out what's happening in Evanstonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
When asked how her family in the Philippines is faring these days, Martinez-Benz says, her parents are doing okay, all things considered.
"They are fixing the roof of our house and several broken windows," she said. "They still have no electricity and it might not be until February when they will have it back. [And], relief goods are still pretty scarce there. The food people buy are rationed; so is gasoline.”
Congratulations, Evan. You're proof that community-building happens at every age. I hope your grandparents will see this column someday. I'm sure they'd be very, very proud of you.
----------
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
