Whiz Kids: WHB Students Hold Famine for World Vision and Life Straws

Whiz Kids: Lane Davenport, 17 and Abby McLaughlin, 17

School: Westhampton Beach High School

Whiz Kids' Accomplishment: Held a 30-hour famine to benefit World Vision and Life Stras, raising $11,000.

Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness:  As members of the Westhampton Beach High School’s Classmates United in Restoring the Environment club, Lane Davenport and Abby McLaughlin, have successfully raised $11,000 through a 30-hour famine they held at their school last month.

The money the students raised will benefit World Vision, an organization that Davenport says builds schools, libraries and feeds children around the world. 

Funds will also go to LifeStraws, an organization that Davenport says, “created technology in a straw form that removes toxins from the waters people drink to prevent diseases such as cholera from spreading around villages and killing thousands of people annually."

This year, Davenport said, 220 people signed up for the famine with a little more than 170 people donating and attending the event.

The famine said Davenport is in its fourth successful year. 

“Every year, we set new goals on how much we will raise,” said Davenport. “Our first year was $2,000, the second year was $5,000 and the third, $9,000.  This year was $10,000.”

Aside from working on the famine project, Davenport and McLaughlin also work on other projects for C.U.R.E, including a recycling program in which they recycle paper, cans and bottles in their school.  They are also working on raising money to buy solar panels for the high school’s roof through a battle of the bands event.

Aside from sitting as president of C.U.R.E for the past two years, Davenport takes several AP classes. She says she intends to study biology and major in pre-medical studies in college next year.