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DELTA — A group of senior students at Burnsview Secondary, along with teacher Laura Masini Pieralli, are aiming to make domestic violence a thing of the past.
Fundraising to build a new playground at Surrey’s Atira, a second-stage transition house for women and children fleeing domestic abuse, the students are selling books. But not just any old book, it’s a collection of essays by the students entitled Enriching Times.
“Fundraising to build a playground for those children impacted by violence brings adults and students together to raise awareness and enact change — it is a great opportunity for people to get together to make children happier,†said Pieralli, who teaches social justice and English at the school.
Enriching Times will be sold at a gala event on March 3 at 6 p.m. at Burnsview Secondary School (7658 112 St., Delta), where students, teachers, B.C.’s Toughest Men, Delta Police Department, Atira, and community leaders will be present.
“What’s great about this event is that it’s not normally people who are engaged in this dialogue…. You can’t preach to the already converted. This time, we have students who draw a crowd of people who are not already converted, who don’t normally attend these events, because it’s student-hosted,†Pieralli explained.
The catered event includes a chance to bid on Canucks tickets, a BC Ferries Vacation package, silent auction items and a 50/50 draw. Students will read from their essays and unveil the book’s cover.