Jessica Lu, staff writer
The Let’s Erase The Stigma (LETS) club hosted its first annual fundraiser at Bluewave Car Wash on Santa Monica Blvd Sunday May 19. The car wash, owned by President David Shanfeld’s grandparents, pulled in an estimated $400-500.
“It is our first event and we did get a decent amount of people showing up,” Vice President Adam Steinberg said. “I’m happy and feel as if we have gone beyond our expectations.”
LETS is a nationwide non-profit foundation dedicated to eliminating stereotypes associated with people with mental illnesses. LETS is focused on mental health literacy, peer-to-peer support and behavior help, as found on its website www.lets.org.
Juniors Shanfeld and Rafi Levy are the current presidents.
“I feel that by attending the car wash, people are showing their appreciation for the club,” Levy said. “They are trying to spread the word around of erasing stigmas on mental illness.”
The club advertised through social media and flyers to attract customers to its event. Students could receive tickets prior to the fundraiser from club members. By cashing in tickets, students could make a donation and receive a discount on their car wash.
“Each high school club is asked to donate $1000 a year,” Shanfeld said. “The carwash is a way that we can make that money to donate.”
LETS is now planning for the carnival, which is scheduled for Friday, May 31. The club aims to reach its 1000 dollar goal with the revenue.