MichiganRadio

Rob Bauman's fourth grade class at Emerson School in Ann Arbor spent the year getting to know the kids at the Grace Center for orphaned girls in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. The kids held weekly video chats over the computer and learned how different their lives are.

"The kids at Grace lost their parents in a war. They don't have food, water, education or shoes. And I took those things for granted until now."

That's fourth grader Tyler Carvette. He and his classmates say seeing how their friends in Sri Lanka live makes them feel thankful for even normal things.

"It makes me feel that I should be grateful with what I have instead of wanting what I haven't got. My name is Cole Hildebrant."

"My name is Sophie Shattenmann. I agree with Cole and Meghan. I'm really grateful that I have parents, and now that I think about it, I'm really lucky to have them."

For the kids in Sri Lanka - normal is war.

Sri Lanka has suffered intense ethnic conflict and civil war for a generation. In 2004 the Asian tsunami further devastated the nation and left thousands of children without families.

Dr. Naresh Gunaratnam of Ann Arbor is a father of one of the fourth graders and travels frequently to Sri Lanka. He says the connection with Emerson School helps the orphans at Grace Center imagine what their future could be like beyond war and disaster.

"The Emerson School has been very helpful because then they can see children who go to school, don't have to worry about bombs. The fact that our children can actually think in the future is a unique thing. Seeing these kids study math and science gives them motivation to learn cause when you're being bombed, the last thing you want to care about are your math problems."

But being friends means more than just weekly chats, and the kids at Emerson wanted to do something to help too. So when an annual charity run came around, several kids from Mr. Bauman's class decided to fundraise specifically for their friends in Sri Lanka.

Fourth grade teacher Rob Bauman saw benefits for the kids on both sides.

"They decided to respond to the conditions of the girls over there. This was their decision. They saw them as people who are really valuable and who had a lot to offer us and we had a lot to offer them. It wasn't out of pity, it was more that these girls deserve food and comfort and shelter."

With the help of their teacher, parents, and a local charity, the kids formed Team Coexist to raise money for the girls at Grace.

Early, on a rainy Sunday morning, the team gathered at the start of the Dexter-Ann Arbor run. Most of the kids were up late due to heavy storms and a series of tornado sirens that sounded overnight. But runner Divya Matcha wasn't concerned.

"We're gonna have a lot of fun and think about how we're gonna give the money to them and we're really excited."

After the race, Tyler Carvette and Sejal Gunaratnam were proud of their accomplishment, and surprised at how easy it was to come up with an idea and make a difference.

Tyler: "We sent like emails and then they just donate. It wasn't that difficult."

Q: Were you surprised at how much money you were able to raise

All: "Yeah!"

Sejal: "We didn't think people would understand that much, we said please forward this to as many people as you could. And I'm guessing it just went around everywhere."

Tyler: "Yeah us two total, we got like $6000!"

Sejal: "Yeah, we worked really hard together. They have big dreams and we want to make them come true."

Throughout the fundraising process, the orphans in Sri Lanka were able to watch the totals growing online. Most donations were modest - $10 or $15 dollars, but in just a few weeks, through the use of email, phone calls, and videos, excitement grew on both sides of the connection as the student's surpassed their goals and raised over $20,000.

Thankful for the friendship and the support they received, the kids in Sri Lanka got together and made a special video to say thanks to Emerson School's fourth graders and Team Coexist.

Nikki Motson, Michigan Radio News.

A 'THANK YOU' VIDEO SENT FROM THE KIDS IN SRI LANKA

More information on the Grace Center in Sri Lanka

© Copyright 2012, Michigan Radio