Students raise money to embark on dream trip

FRANKFORD - October 1, 2011 Junior Tatiana Redden says, "In my account so far I have 800. So we're trying to get there slow and steady." But hopefully the street fair outside Frankford High School will give her and dozens of other students a boost. They've been working for months trying to raise money for a trip to Paris. From basketball to barbeque, each family set up a booth. A DJ rocked the turntable as community members made the rounds. All proceeds will go toward $2,200 each child needs for the tour. That's meant a lot of fundraising since the idea was born last January in English class. Students saw a picture of the Eiffel Tower and joked to their teacher about seeing it in person. That English teacher - and now trip organizer - Nafisah Curry says, "I was baffled and very upset that this was a laughing matter. It was a joke to them because they didn't see it as a possibility to get there." So Nafisah Curry and her husband who teaches in a suburban district decided they wanted to change the Frankford students' perspectives by showing them how to be proactive. Raising money has been a challenge but the Curry's are determined. Not just for the education of traveling abroad but the hard work it takes to achieve goals. "It tells them to not let poverty or lack of resources determine how far they go in life," explains Curry. Marcus Curry tells us, "Unfortunately, these opportunities are scarce in these urban areas. Really go above and beyond and make this thing happen." Indeed, the students jumped at the opportunity for this trip organized through Education First Tours, hoping to explore a city some never believed possible. "I've never been outside Philadelphia," said senior Samorah Jean Phillipe. "So it's like if I get the chance to go to Paris, it's like, what?" The trip is scheduled for March but there's still quite a bit of fundraising left to do. To learn more about these efforts visit www.wix.com/urbanparables/opdparisproject.
Copyright © 2025 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.