By Ambria Hammel | May 21, 2009 | The Catholic Sun

The annual Charity and Development Appeal is getting a welcome boost from an unlikely source: students.

Thousands of students across the diocese’s 35 school campuses found ways to donate a coin or two to help the less fortunate living among them. Since February, many have been dropping their spare change, and sometimes bills, into a chapel-shaped bank with their school’s name and CDA logo on it.

The final total will come before school lets out for the summer.

“I have heard very positive results with the students being an integral part of the CDA and understanding about sharing from their own blessings,” said MaryBeth Mueller, superintendent of Catholic schools.

She added that four schools brought in more than $8,000, largely through fundraising projects.

 “I think the students began to understand better the idea of stewardship and how a little can and does make a difference. Whether it is your time, talent or your treasure, every little bit helps,” said Sr. Yolanda Mendoza, IBVM, campus minister at Notre Dame Preparatory in Scottsdale.

Students learned about the CDA from teachers who addressed justice, the economy and other social issues. The chapel-shaped CDA bank — which the Notre Dame staff pushed around on a cart during breaks and lunch — became a way for the students to begin addressing some of those social ills.

School officials were surprised by the students’ cooperation with the CDA. They put a little bit of change in the bank whenever they could.

“We don’t have to do the extraordinary,” Sr. Mendoza said, “we just need to do the ordinary well.”

That’s the same idea that administrators at St. Theresa School tried to show their students: a little bit can add up to a lot when everyone does a little something.

All 575 students spent the Lenten season donating what money they could to the CDA. St. Theresa’s student council presented an updated total every week during opening prayer.

“We always made sure that we told the kids to the exact penny so that they got the idea that every penny counts,” said Sr. Patricia Gehling, SSND, principal.

The school adopted its own “Pennies Make a Difference” theme to show the students that even pennies can greatly impact a large fundraising effort like the $10.2 million CDA. The theme also fits into St. Theresa’s yearlong focus, “We Make a Difference.”

Students at Xavier College Preparatory heard every day about the CDA’s local impact. During daily announcements, the student council talked about the CDA and how it helps students like themselves and seminarians.

The announcements were telecast into every classroom. That meant all the students could see the CDA chapel bank with their school’s name on it beside the announcer. It served as a reminder to donate.

Each morning at Xavier also began with the CDA prayer.

“It really heightened their sense of the CDA in the context of stewardship,” said Sr. Joan Fitzgerald, BVM, Xavier’s principal.

Their new awareness resulted in immediate action.

The students held penny wars and “buck-a-jean” days earlier this year with cash benefiting the CDA. Most of the school participated in the “buck-a-jean” day.

Student leaders also asked their peers to make a personal sacrifice — such as a latte — during March and donate that money instead to the CDA.

For students at St. Peter Mission School in Bapchule, donating any amount of money to the CDA showed a personal sacrifice. But that didn’t stop them from digging into their pockets.

The students held several fundraisers this year including a “no uniform day” if they donated to the CDA and a two-mile benefit walk for the appeal.

“All monies plus extra donations by children, staff and parents became ‘CDA money,’” said Franciscan Sister Martha Mary Carpenter, principal at St. Peter. “CDA is so generous to us that we would like to give back as much as we can.”

They have collected $731 in change and small bills so far.

At press time, the CDA has raised nearly $8.65 million, which goes toward helping thousands of Arizona residents who are served by more than 70 diocesan and community agencies.