Pupils Will Donate $25 Each to Charity

A class of Portola Hills Elementary School second- and third-graders will donate $25 each to their favorite charities this Christmas, thanks to a $500 donation from the nonprofit Charity Checks Inc.

The 20 students in teacher Linda Rishel’s class have been studying charitable organizations for the last few weeks. On Wednesday, Charity Checks gave each student a $25 check to donate to their favorite group. The checks can be redeemed only by nonprofit organizations.

Rishel said the donations help teach the students about charitable causes and the importance of giving.

“This is just making them mindful of what’s out there and of other people’s needs,” she said.

Students chose to send donations to nonprofits such as the American Red Cross, the American Cancer Society and a group dedicated to fighting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

One student chose to send a check to the Weather Research Center to help fund hurricane and tornado research, Rishel said.

Wednesday’s event was the first time Agoura Hills-based Charity Checks has donated to a school. The group’s founders said they hope to continue giving money to students to donate to charities.