Moved by LA wildfires, Fairhaven student heads up Red Cross fundraiser

Fairhaven Middle School (FMS) sixth grader Harrison Burgess stopped by the local chapter of the American Red Cross recently to present a donation of more than $200 raised by students, staff and families from Fairhaven. Harrison brainstormed and organized the fundraiser on his own as a tangible way to lend support to victims of the Los Angeles wildfires in January. 

Executive director Alexander Newman of the Northwest Washington Chapter of the American Red Cross accepted the Fairhaven Middle School donation and presented Harrison with a certificate and a special Red Cross pin. Newman had recently returned from California where he assisted wildfire victims through the Red Cross. The money raised by the FMS community will be directed to those impacted by the LA wildfires.  

Harrison said he started thinking about a fundraiser “after listening to the news about the fires.” In addition, since there had been a destructive fire in his family’s past history, these fires especially struck a chord to see the homes burning and lives disrupted.  

“My dad’s house burned down in a house fire when he was a kid,” he shared “and the Red Cross came and helped him and his family.” 

In a desire to pay it forward to the Red Cross, Harrison approached Fairhaven principal Steve Ruthford to get permission and then worked with him on the best way to collect funds. 

“I emailed and then met with Mr. Ruthford asking about the different ways I could gather donations” he said. “I decided to make flyers and put them up around school; I announced it in each of my classes; I asked the principal to make morning announcements; and I put a donation can in the front office.” 

Due to this selfless and passionate engagement, Principal Ruthford had many wonderful things to say about Harrison and the fundraiser. Harrison “exemplifies one of the key outcomes of The Bellingham Promise—being a well-rounded community member engaged with the broader world,” Ruthford said.  After an initial conversation about how to help, Ruthford said Harrison reached out to the Red Cross himself and got the fundraiser started.

“His dedication to helping others and his recognition that ‘we raised the money, not just me’ speaks to the spirit of generosity and teamwork we value at Fairhaven and in Bellingham Public Schools. I am so proud of him.” 

We asked Harrison to share a little bit about himself to fill out this spotlight. He told us some highlights of his first year at Fairhaven. 

“How to use a laser cutter was fun in my STEM/tech class and learning cricket was a cool learning experience,” he shared. He also mentioned that “making a bomb calorimeter in science was super fun to find how many calories something has.”  

Outside of school he wrote “I love playing baseball and playing laser tag with my friends and watching soccer with my dad. I also do a martial arts class, and I love walking my dog.” 

We also asked him if he had any good advice for fifth graders as they move up to middle school next fall since he had recently gone through that transition. He responded, “What helped me was having friends in each of my classes.” While he admits that moving to a new school can be a rough transition for some, he said “you definitely want to have people that will support you.”  

American Red Cross Certificate of Appreciation to Harrison Burgess 

In gratitude for the funds you raised to support the wildfire response in California, the American Red Cross of Northwest Washington presents this Certificate of Appreciation. Your support directly impacts the ability of the Red Cross to serve those affected by disaster. The American Red Cross thanks you for your efforts, generosity and true humanitarian spirit. 

Click here to find out more about our local American Red Cross.