JASON RANTZ

Mercer Island teen raises $16K for hurricane relief

Dec 15, 2017, 12:37 PM

pencils, Mercer Island...

(AP file photo)

(AP file photo)

Mercer Island High School student Albert Lam only set out to raise $200 for hurricane relief, but ended up raising $16,000.

Lam told 770 KTTH’s Jason Rantz he wanted to get involved after his mom’s friend lost her house to Hurricane Harvey.

“My mom asked me if I could imagine anything happening to my house like that, and I really couldn’t,” Lam said. “Their home is just gone. That’s when I decided I wanted to help.”

Lam decided he’d sell monogrammed pencils for five dollars each to try to raise money.

“It was August, the end of August, early September, it was back to school,” Lam said. “So I thought, okay, what would be something good that I could sell during that time? Pencils I could sell to students.”

Several donors offered more than the $5 pencil price, which was a major factor in Lam raising as much money as he did.

“I was lucky in that I was early and there were a lot of people who hadn’t donated yet in that area that donated to my cause,” Lam said.

His parents agreed to put up the money to purchase all the pencils so every purchase would go straight to his charity of choice, the Red Cross. There was one other tactic they used to make sure donors felt comfortable giving their money to a high school kid.

“Each and every person that donated, we have a receipt for them,” Lam said, “and of course, for the bigger donors that could be pretty meaningful in terms of tax deductions.”

Lam plans to continue his community service as a member of his high school’s Key Club chapter, and this experience made him more optimistic about future fundraising efforts.

“There’s always that initial fear, like, what if nobody supports this?” Lam said. “Really you just have to get over that and take the first step because there are a lot of good people out there who want to help.”

Jason Rantz on AM 770 KTTH
  • listen to jason rantzTune in to AM 770 KTTH weekdays at 3-7pm toThe Jason Rantz Show.

Jason Rantz Show

Jason Rantz

Burien lawsuit...

Jason Rantz

Exclusive: City of Burien sues King County for breaking contract in homeless camping ban

The City of Burien filed a lawsuit against King County for its refusal to enforce a homeless camping ban that was lawfully adopted.

17 hours ago

Image: The Stevens County Sheriff's Office says it recently received an odd call from a Sasquatch h...

Jason Rantz

Rantz: Sheriff’s office asked legality of hunting Sasquatch in Stevens County

A Sasquatch hunter had an interesting question for the Stevens County sheriff. Is it legal to hunt Sasquatch?

1 day ago

Image: Children bike past Wilson Elementary in Spokane....

Jason Rantz

Rantz: ‘Racist’ Spokane elementary school’s ‘slaves and hobos’ ignites controversy

After a teacher told students they could dress as "slaves and hobos" for an event, the Spokane NAACP cried foul.

2 days ago

Images: At left, Bellevue Police Department Officer Kevin Bereta is seen in his uniform. At right, ...

Julia Dallas

Bellevue officer injured in VP Harris motorcade recalls road to reclaiming benefits

Bellevue Police Officer Kevin Bereta's life changed while he was on VP Kamala Harris' service detail during her visit to Washington.

2 days ago

permanent supportive housing...

Jason Rantz

Rantz: You’re being lied to about permanent supportive housing in Redmond

Redmond residents rightly push back against permanent supportive housing as a solution for the homeless, as Seattle media get in the way.

3 days ago

WA State Attorney General Bob Ferguson campaigning.  (Photo by Karen Ducey/Getty Images)...

Jason Rantz

Rantz: On crime, Bob Ferguson campaign made its first massive blunder

The Bob Ferguson campaign wants you thinking his top priority is crime. His entire political history says otherwise.

4 days ago

Mercer Island teen raises $16K for hurricane relief