Story & Photos By Kaitlyn Nuebel

Graduating fifth graders at Dormont Elementary School high-fived one another as they walked across the cafeteria stage to receive their diplomas at the beginning of June. The next stop on their journey will be middle school, but not before making a significant impact on the relief efforts in Ukraine.

This year’s graduating class used the school’s annual Walk Your Child to School Day to host a student-run bake sale and coffeeshop for a class business project. Students received coffee donations from local coffee shop Muddy Cup and baked goods from parents. As the teachers managed operations from the sidelines, students made menus, determined prices, filled orders and handed customers their change. When the fundraiser was over, the fifth-grade class had raised $800 dollars for charity. The students then took a vote to determine where the proceeds should go.

“The overwhelming choice was to donate all proceeds to the Pittsburgh-based Brother’s Brother Foundation on behalf of their relief efforts in Ukraine,” said Judy Tredway, a fifth-grade teacher at Dormont Elementary School.

Tanner Rowe, director of operations at BBF, attended the students’ graduation to accept the $800 donation on behalf of the organization. When Rowe arrived, he learned the students also chose to support BBF through their Legacy Project, a school tradition that enables graduating students to give back to a school or community project of their choosing. In addition to the money raised from their bake sale and coffee shop, the Dormont Elementary fifth graders also presented Rowe with a check for $1,500. In total, Dormont Elementary donated $2,300 to BBF’s Ukraine Relief Fund.