Every year in May, Harry S Truman Elementary School holds an assembly celebrating diversity. Each grade level chooses a country to study and presents their country at the assembly. This year, fourth grade students chose the country of Haiti.

They started the project with a conversation about what they knew about Haiti and what they wanted to learn about Haiti. They decided to learn how Haiti was different from the United States and how the countries are the same. After some research, they discovered Haiti is a country in need. As a grade level, they wanted to do more that just learn about the country, they wanted to help the country.

With the help of some friends, the students were lucky to find an Allentown man who runs an orphanage in Haiti, Jim McIver.

Recently, McIver visited the school to talk to the students about the devastation that occurred in Haiti and how it affected them. He shared stories and pictures of his orphanage and how the children came to be with him. He also shared with the students what activities the children are involved in during the day in school and what they like to do when they are not in school.

After hearing his stories, the students decided they wanted to help his orphanage and asked McIver for a list of items the orphanage could use.

There are 14 children in the orphanage -- seven boys (ages three to 18) and seven girls (ages five to 13). Items needed include toothpaste, tooth brushes, shampoo, conditioner, flip flops, peanut butter, pancake mix, children's vitamins, underwear, spaghetti, noodles, balloons, bubbles and deodorant.

The community is asked to assist the class in donating any item on the list. Items will be collected at HST and McIver will take the items to the orphanage when he goes back down in the end of May. He goes to Haiti every month, so HST will do a collection in May and June.