“Kids are so optimistic, so helpful, so hopeful. You just can't help but be inspired by them.”

-Rachel Kutz, Math Teacher, Rowlett Middle Academy.

Rachel Kutz teaches math at Rowlett Middle Academy in Bradenton.

What You Need To Know

After neighbors lost their home to a gas leak earlier this month, the school rallied around her first period e-learner’s service project—a spare change drive.

“We set a goal of $400,” said Kutz. “But then the money kept coming in. It wasn't stopping.”

“I think that giving’s like a chain reaction, once someone starts, then it just keeps going. Like, I think that's what happened with our school,” said eighth-grader Marlei Brown.

“People kept bringing bags of money passing me in the hallway, or I'd find it in my mailbox,” said Kutz. “And as of the final count, we actually raised $926.50.”

“It was great,” said eighth-grader Madison Walker. “We just we really wanted to help our neighbors and really help build up a family, especially around Christmas. It was horrible."

“It's such a giving time of year. And I thought it was pretty interesting that we made all that money just with change,” said Brown.

“If there's a lot of something little. It can be something big,” said Pope. “It really makes you feel good that you're helping somebody.”

Since March, Virginia has spoken to people from all walks of life throughout the Tampa Bay area…about Life in The Time of Coronavirus.

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