The Town reminder (South Hadley, MA) Oct 28 - Nov 3, 2005
Teen on a mission : Chelsea Fernandes is on her way to raising $20K for the purchase of a mine sniffing dog
SOUTH HADLEY -
South Hadley High School student Chelsea Fernandes is on a mission to save lives.
She'll utilize the help of man's best friend to accomplish that goal. The SHHS junior is a quarter of the way through her campaign to raise $20,000 to fund the adoption and training of a mine-detecting dog. Fernandes is working with the Marshall Legacy Institute, which sponsors the Children Against Mines Program (CHAMPS). CHAMPS educates children about the threat of land mines and helps them raise money to adopt a dog.
Once Fernandes hits the $20,000 mark, another skilled canine will be sent to places like Sri Lanka, Bosnia and Ethiopia. It will be named "South Hadley" in honor of the hometown effort, and it will undoubtedly save countless lives.
CHAMPS is a cause Fernandes is passionate about. She's spent countless hours since her campaign's kick-off in May 2005, raising money and planning fund-raising activities. To date, she has taken on the campaign, including, worked to have an 11 year-old retired mine sniffing dog named Rosa visit schoolchildren to raise awareness of the campaign, she's raised money through a walk-a-thon, and she's soliciting items for a raffle. It will be well worth the effort Fernandes said.
"I just don't think it's fair that people have wars and they leave mines there, for something to happen to someone else. It's just not right," she said. "They can stay active for years and years."
Fernandes became involved with CHAMPS when searching for a community service project to complete during her senior year. Through her mother, Mount Holyoke College staffer Linda Chesky Fernandes, the teen linked up with former Clinton National Security Advisor Anthony Lake to learn more about the initiative. Lake is president and founder of the Marshall Legacy Institute. He gave a jump start to her campaign by joining her at a kick-off event at the Northampton City Hall.
Fernandes says she has received as much as she has given during the six months she’s put into the fundraising campaign. She’s had the chance to meet people like Lake and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jody Williams, founder of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL). Williams was speaking at the University of Massachusetts, and Fernandes was invited to listen because of her similar efforts. The ICBL founder is one of the only ten women to have won the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize. She is only the third woman from the US to receive the honor.
Fernandes said she was tongue-tied when Williams introduced herself following the speech. "It felt weird," she said. "She's a Nobel Peace Prize winner. I just didn't think she would talk to me.” Fernandes is humble about her efforts, even though she’s received praise from some of the top minds in the country. She’s also quick to thank those who have helped kick-start the campaign. "It's really not me. People help me. My mom helps me. I don't want to take all of the credit," Fernandes said. In fact, the whole Fernandes family has taken on the campaign including parents Linda and Michael, sister Kassandra, her grandmother, and her aunt and extended family. "People have rallied behind her," said Linda Fernandes.
Fernandes is looking for the community's assistance to help her achieve her goal of getting "South Hadley" out into the world to save lives. In the works are an auction, a raffle, and possibly a spaghetti supper. Fernandes and her mom will also set up at a local Stop and Shop, to collect donations. She's also contacted a long list of celebrities asking them to donate autographed photos that will be auctioned off as a benefit for CHAMPS. So far, she's received responses from star like Angelina Jolie, Jack Nicholson and John Travolta. State Rep. John Scibak (D-South Hadley) has, pitched in to write letters on Chelsea's behalf to local businesses, asking them to get on board.
There is no deadline for Fernandes, but the sooner the land mine sniffing dog is working on the field, that's more lives that will be saved from injury or from death. According to the Marshall Legacy Institute, there are currently 800 dogs working in 24 countries, where they are each able to search 1,000 square meters in a day. Human probes couldn’t come close to searchingthat large of a space in this time period. Remarkably, very few dogs have been killed during land mine sniffing tours.
Needless to say, Linda Fernandes is thrilled with her daughter's efforts. She called her a "kind and caring" girl who is always looking out for others. "She is a good kid. She's worked hard, and she hasn't gotten discouraged," said Linda Fernandes.