By Maddy PUMILIA

The Crescenta Valley High School Key Club, in conjunction with Montrose-La Crescenta Kiwanis Club, is hosting a fundraiser on Sunday, Feb.  24 to raise money for two charities.

The goal is to fill a 28-foot trailer with items the Goodwill store can sell. In exchange, Goodwill will donate $1,500 to two charities: the Pediatric Trauma Prevention Program and Eliminate Project.

The money dedicated to the Pediatric Trauma Prevention Program will go toward community outreach programs to educate people about pediatric trauma and help train pediatricians and doctors.

Kiwanis International, the parent club of the Key Club, has formed the Cal-Nev-Ha Foundation, which focuses on pediatric trauma and spearheads the prevention program.

Key Club Fundraising coordinator 2012 and CVHS junior Kaitline Cho said the club wants to support these efforts.

“The number one killer of children ages 14 and under is usually accidental injuries, like a car crash [when a child] didn’t wear a seatbelt,” Cho said.

Eliminate Project is a cooperative effort by Kiwanis and UNICEF that aims to get rid of maternal and neonatal tetanus epidemics in developing countries.

“The money donated will go toward providing immunizations shots for babies and women in Third World countries,” Cho said. “The data is really deadly. Once it affects the child, they have all of these convulsions and they stay really sensitive to light and sound. It’s really painful.”

“Kaitline thought we could handle the challenge of gathering an entire truckload,” said CV High School Key Club advisor Celeste Lau-Chwierut. “She has advertised to the community, made lots of flyers and put a committee together to mark it a fundraiser.”

Items that can be donated include clothes, shoes, accessories, books, artwork, jewelry, electronics, games and toys, furniture, cookware and CDs and DVDs. Anything that’s used but can be used again and sold at Goodwill. Unacceptable items include things that need repair, are incomplete or aren’t in good condition. Other unacceptable donations include beds, food, exercise equipment, recyclables and infant items (such as cribs and playpens).

“Goodwill would benefit by getting the materials and being able to sell them and [hire] unemployed people and help the community that would benefit from lower prices,” Lau-Chwierut said.

The fundraiser takes place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the CVHS student parking lot on Ramsdell Avenue, located north of the CV campus and south of Foothill Boulevard. The goal is to fill 245 33-gallon bags.

There is a pick-up service available before the event. For more information, email Kristen@cvkeyclub.com.

  MADDY PUMILIA