Valentines in St. Aloysius School, Jackson, NJ show that love has a far-reaching impact.

On Valentine’s Day the classrooms were decorated and the teachers were handing out cards to their students. This year however, there were special valentines that showed love not just for the recipient, but for Migyera, a village in Uganda.

Through a program called “Quarters for Water” which is designed to bring clean well water to St. Lawrence School and the surrounding areas of Migyera, St. Aloysius students raised $646 through the sale of special Valentines.  The money was to be donated to Change A Life Uganda, an organization whose mission is to change the lives and the families of the children in Uganda through education, health-care and income-generating programs.  Co-founder and president of CALU, Jean Semler, and her husband, vice-president Dave Thelen, parishioners of St. Aloysius Parish, have been working with the parish and school to bring awareness to the plight of the people of Migyera through various fundraising efforts and events.  

 “Quarters for Water” is in its final phase and helps bring clean well water to the Saint Lawrence School. Many children living in Uganda have to travel miles by foot to collect water from a contaminated water source. They then bring back the dirty water and must boil it in order to wash and bathe themselves.

“This was definitely a worthwhile cause and a fun thing to do to help less fortunate people than ourselves,” seventh grader Elizabeth Sheridan said of the project.