MAD WEEK History
MAD Week is a Heritage High School tradition. Over 17 years we have donated over a quarter of a million dollars ($318,509.44) to various causes! Our students are proud of the difference they have made throughout the world. It is truly a part of our legacy as Eagles. To learn more about what we've done since we began MAD Week in 2007 (and our 1st Wish Week in 2006), read all the details and take a look at the photos/videos below.
MAD Week 2023:
The student body voted to donate money to Make-A-Wish Colorado, which is a non-profit charity organization focused on granting wishes for critically ill children.
In addition to starting new traditions and revamping old ones, the Heritage community succeeded in exceeding our goal our goal of $37,500 and setting yet another record. This year we raised:
$40,576.49
Heritage, you have truly helped to Make A Difference in the world of kids! Thank you for your support!
MAD Week 2022:
The student body voted to donate money to One Tree Planted, which is a non-profit charity organization focused on global reforestation to combat climate change. As a whole, they have planted over 40 million trees, and that number will only keep growing with our donations from MAD Week. For every dollar donated, they plant one tree. Our goal was to raise $20,000 to help rebuild forests in four regions of the world to help One Tree planted in their mission. The four regions were: Pacific Northwest (Seniors), India (Juniors), Uganda (Sophomores), and Guatemala (Freshman)
In addition to starting new traditions and revamping old ones, the Heritage community succeeded in exceeding our goal and setting a new school record:
$37,834!
Heritage, you have truly helped to Make A Difference in the world! Thank you for your support!
MAD Week 2021:
The student body voted to have the Wild Animal Sanctuary as the cause for MAD Week 2021, an organization in Keensburg, CO that rescues wild animals from captivity, rehabilitates them, and releases them into large, natural habitats. Our goal was to raise $10,000 in order to adopt Walter and Mafalda, two grizzly bears in love.
Heritage succeeded in doubling our goal, even in the midst of a pandemic, raising a total of
$22,919.30!
Thanks, Heritage. You have truly helped to Make A Difference!
MAD Week 2020:
2020 was a historic year in many ways. For the first time, Eagle Outreach hosted a virtual MAD Week full of activities that supported everyone affected by Lockdown. These included thanking Heritage staff and first responders, sending cards to senior citizens, and a bit of self love!
MAD Week 2019:
In 2019, Heritage supported Heifer International, an organization that donates livestock to people in developing countries, stimulating community growth. More information can be found in this video.
Heritage High School students raised over $31,000 for Heifer International, setting a new school record! Two "Arks of Transformation" were purchased, along with assorted farm animals.
Heritage students continue to Make A Difference in their community and the world at large!
Mad Week 2018
For its 11th MAD Week, the Heritage student body voted to support our sister school in Kabala, Sierra Leone! The causes we’ve supported over the past 11 years may have changed, but our mission has remained the same: to empower students to become citizens who can make a positive change in our community. This year our goal was to send $12,000 to Sierra Leone for the school lunch program.
A meal program at our sister school will cost only 25 cents per day for each of the 250 students. As research shows, feeding students lunch will help increase their attendance, their ability to concentrate and sustain. For students who commonly only eat one main meal a day, creating a school meal program is needed and important.
During the week we were able to raise the following amounts during the following events:
$2318.98 was raised at the Student vs Staff basketball game
$786.81 was raised by Teacher in a Box
$970 combined was raised from dine-out between Chick-fil-A and The Shack
$6,114.56 was raised at Mr. Eagle
Penny Stalls was a huge success, bringing in $19,299.24
That brings the total to $29,489.59! That's a new school record! With this extra money we were able to:
Build a kitchen and buy all the cookware
Purchase solar lights and bikes for the students and teachers
Another great year in our Heritage High School Legacy! Make A Difference! Celebration Video
MAD Week 2017
MAD Week celebrated its 10th year anniversary of giving back to the community! This is a major accomplishment of not only Community Relations but for our school and future and past Heritage Students! This year's cause is centered towards helping those affected by Poverty by supporting Serving Sierra Leone and The Gathering Place.
$9315.52 to Serving Sierra Leone: to help rebuild sister school in Kabala after the Ebola crisis. Specifically, money will be used to add a solar panel, rebuilt out-house facilities and perhaps, depending on the cost of those, pay teachers
$2,000The Gathering Place money will be used to restock their pantry services with perishable foods. While many groups donate non=perishables, the supply of fresh produce, meat, dairy, etc, is not something that is easily accessible. This money will be used to supply fresh, healthy perishable foods to those in need. The donation items will go to helping with the hygiene services they provide to the women and children who experience poverty. Also, we donated 727.4 pounds of clothing and 184.3 pounds of toiletry and hygiene items.
MAD Week 2016
We wanted to return to the spirit of volunteerism and support that originally started MAD Week 10 years ago (as Wish Week in 2006) And we wanted the entire Heritage community to become more involved in the week's events. We decided to keep the events that students really enjoyed like the Student vs Staff Basketball Game and Eat Out Night at The Shack. But we changed up how we selected our cause. We asked the student body to vote on a "theme" for the week, and once that got decided, we asked students to nominate a non-profit that fit the theme. Students selected "Veterans" as our theme, and once everything got decided we ended up supporting THREE causes.
Our fundraiser was for Freedom Service Dogs, a local non-profit that rescues dogs and custom trains them for individual clients, many of whom are American veterans.
We we collected new and gently-used clothing of all sizes for the Disabled American Veterans which distributes items to veterans and their families.
And we worked with a new Heritage club, Operation Eagle, to build care packages for soldiers serving over-seas through the non-profit, Colorado Supporting Our Troops.
After a week of amazing cooperation within the student body and generous contributions of our teachers and students, We made MAD Week 2016 the most successful one to date!
Below is a statement made in the Press Release from MAD Week 2016:
"With the approach of spring, the students of Heritage find ourselves busily preparing for the wonderful tradition known as MAD Week. “MAD” stands for MAKING A DIFFERENCE, and Heritage students and staff, our families, and our surrounding community members have done precisely that since 2006. This year we are working on another successful year. Few schools in America can boast of the kind of philanthropic, global engagement that MAD Week provides for our community.
MAD WEEK 2016 ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
Money Donated to Freedom Service Dogs: $10,084.05 (matched by Anschutz, totaled $20,168.10)
Total number of finalized care packages (once they were combined to be shipped) 197 postage boxes, totaling $6,738.50 worth of products. It took 5 SUVs--fully packed--to come pick up all our boxes! Some packages have already been received in Korea and Afghanistan.
Pounds of Clothing to Disabled American Veterans: 1,083.1 pounds!
Another great year in our Heritage High School Legacy! Make A Difference!
In the past 10 years, the Heritage community has raised over $158,652 for four worthy causes. In 2006, we donated almost $10,000 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation for a seriously ill young girl named Anna. In 2010, we donated over $13,000 to build an addition to a school for the Dalit, the untouchable class in southern India. Over a seven-year period, we have donated over $105,000 to the people of Kabala in Sierra Leone, Africa to support an amputee camp and school for the blind as well as build and sustain our namesake sister school, the Heritage High School of Kabala. In 2013, we shifted our focus to the Danny Dietz Memorial Fund and Lone Survivor Foundation, raising $15,000 to support our veterans and their families, and last year we collected for Doctors Without Borders to help with the Ebola crisis.
This year we are proud to announce the student body voted to focus on supporting veterans, and Community Relations club, with help from other student groups, has been busy planning MAD Week 2016. Our goal is to raise $6,000 to support Freedom Service Dogs, a local non-profit that rescues dogs and custom trains them for individual client needs, many of whom are American veterans. All money raised during April will be matched by the Anshutz Foundation. We will also be collecting gently-used and new clothing for Disabled American Veterans and putting together care packages through the Colorado Supports Veterans non-profit."
MAD Week 2015
The student body voted this year to raise money for Doctor's Without Borders because of the recent outbreak of Ebola in Africa (including in Sierra Leone, home of our sister school). Our goal was to raise $12,500.
Events we planned included a new event: Teacher in a Box. Students threw their change into a bucket in order to watch teachers "perform" while "locked" in the first floor display case during periods 4-6. Depending on the amount of money collected, students were able to see their teachers do things they enjoyed (like exercising, listening to music or enjoying a snack). Or, they paid to see them "squirm." For example, they got to see Ms Riendeau dance in a tutu, Mr. Fischer wax his legs and Mrs. DeVries stick her hand into a bowl of live goldfish.
Another event was the traditional Eat Out Night. Students and parents ate at one of our designated local restaurants, The Shack or Chick-fil-A, presented the appropriate flyer and had a percentage of their final bill come back to MAD Week.
On Thursday we brought back the Obstacle Course event from two years ago. Instead of competing "military style" we came up with activities revolving around medical jargon and procedures. Teams of four competed in events like Wheelchair Maze, Inoculation Shot and Stretcher Carry. We'll also had Minute-to-Win-It events like Gauze Wrap and Apple Stack.
Friday was our big fund-raising day with our Silent Auction and Student vs. Staff Basketball Game.The Silent Auction started at 5:30 pm in the Aux gym and included items like original artwork, themed baskets, sports tickets, jewelry and more. The basketball game, organized by Student Government, started around 7 pm, and this year the students were able to walk away with a big victory over the staff. Halftime included selecting the winners of the StuGo raffle, which ran all week.
In the end, after all the money and donations were counted, we were able to send a check for $13,775.89 to Doctors Without Borders, making MAD Week 2015 another huge success!!!
MAD Week 2014
Sierra Leone was selected as the MAD Week cause again this year. Because of increased enrollment at the school there was a need to build two additional classrooms for our sister school, so Community Relations set a goal of raising at least $10,000. We exceeded this goal by raising $13,628.38. This, combined with donations from parents and admissions to Hullaballo, raised our donation to $15,385.50.
Because MAD Week happened earlier in the year, the week looked a little different than in years past. We kicked off the week with our traditional Kick-Off Assembly and then had Eat-Out Night the next day at Panda Express and Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers. We hosted the movie, Salay, after school on Wednesday. The movie, directed by Ali Biko Kamanda, a former student of our sister school, tells the story of a young woman trying to escape her circumstances by getting an education and setting out on her own even if it means leaving her family and village behind. Our two big events, the Silent Auction and Student versus Staff Basketball Game, were held on Thursday evening (since Friday was the day before Spring Break). The week concluded during 5th hour on Friday with Ms. Riendeau shaving off the beard of Mr. DeStefano, the "loser" in the staff vs staff competition.
MAD Week 2013
The student body voted to focus MAD Week 2013 on raising money for The Lone Survivor Foundation and the Danny Dietz Leadership and Training Foundation. The mission of The Lone Survivor Foundation is to "restore, empower, and renew hope for our wounded warriors and their families through health, wellness, and therapeutic support," and the Danny Dietz Foundation serves the community by training and mentoring at-risk youth.
Our goal for the week was to raise $13,000, with 70 percent of our proceeds benefitting Lone Survivor and 30 percent the Dietz Foundation.
Events for the week included our Kick-Off assembly on Monday and Eat-Out Night on Wednesday. We also had a viewing of the film, Act of Valor, during our Movie Night on Tuesday. As a new event, we had a obstacle course on Thursday in the main gym. We had 20 teams compete for the honor of being Lone Survivor Obstacle Course Champions. Prizes were awarded. On Friday we ended the week with our Silent Auction and the Student versus Staff Basketball game.
MAD Week 2012
The focus of MAD Week 2012 was voted on by the student body, and it once again selected Sierra Leone. The goal was to raise enough money to build at least one additional classroom to the existing school since enrollment is growing and there isn't enough room for all the students at our sister school. Temporary grass structures are currently being used for the overflow.
Thanks to the efforts of everyone, we were able to meet our goal and send over $15,000 to Sierra Leone to help build a permanent addition to the school. Students showed their support by attending events all week including a Silent Auction and Movie Night, an Eat Out fund-raising event, a Game Night and our traditional Student vs. Staff Basketball game. Special thanks go out to Student Government, the theater department, DECA, the Mr. Eagle competition, Alpine Club, The Shack, Relish It and Baskin Robbins for helping us meet our goal.
We also had three teams of students travel to Kabala over the summer to help build bricks and expand the school while also working in the village clinic.
Work was well underway on the new structure when most of the students had to return home to Littleton.
MAD Week 2011
The project for MAD Week was voted upon by the student body and we decided to go back to Sierra Leone with the theme of "Strength in our Heritage." The Heritage community put together many projects to fund through MAD Week which included buying textbooks, providing an internet connection, funding teacher support, paying for indoor plumbing, and paying for paint for the school. We also sent over 100 textbooks to our fellow classmates.
We are proud to announce that we have achieved this goal by raising more than$15,225! This surpasses our goal and brings the total raised over the past six years over $100K!
A special thank you goes to DECA , Mr. Eagle, theatre company and One Acts, Boys' Tennis Boosters, Alpine Club, The Shack, Jimmy Johns, and Baskin Robbins. Students, families, staff, and community members- your generosity is unmatched. Together we continue to Make A Difference!
MAD Week 2010
Each spring, Heritage High School “goes MAD” as the entire school community unites in an effort to make a difference in the world. Once more MAD (Making A Difference) Week, April 5 – 9, at HHS was an amazing success. After focusing for three years on Sierra Leone and raising over $60,000 to build and equip our sister school in West Africa, this spring Heritage High School students decided to shift their focus to the Dalit, also known as the “outcastes,” in India.
The Dalit (better known as the "untoucables" or "outcastes") comprise an estimated one quarter of India's population and rank below even the lowest in India's caste system. Eac day the yare vulnerable to discrimination, violence, and slavery. HHS students workerd to raise awareness for the plight of these people and joined with the Dalit Freedom Network to expand a school that serves the Dalit in Kalayarkovil, Tamil nadu in southern india. To learn more about the Dalit go to http://www.dalitnetwork.org/go?/dfn/index
We are proud to announce that Heritage students have raised over $15,000 to expand the Dalit school in Kalayarkovil, Tamil Nadu in southern India, in order to provide more young people with the opportunity to receive an education.
MAD Week 2009
Two Schools, One Heritage
On Monday, April 27, Heritage High School students and staff embarked on a week-long, school-wide fund raiser known as MAD (Make a Difference) Week. MAD Week 2007 and MAD Week 2008 were huge successes, raising a combined total of more than $41,000 to assist victims in refugee camps, support a health clinic, and construct our sister school in Kabala, Sierra Leone.
During MAD Week 2009, our goal was to raise at least $15,000 to equip the secondary school with nearly 200 student desks and install a modern water well to provide clean, safe, accessible drinking water for more than 1,000 students of the primary and secondary schools as well as the families residing in the nearby village. MAD Week 2009 had an increased educational focus this year in an effort to inform the student body about other global issues. Student groups created "educational hallways" throughout the building and attended presentations made by guest speakers. Even as many of us face challenging economic times, we remain committed to doing what we can for the world’s most impoverished country. As of May 2009, our MAD week fundraising total has grown to $17,585.84. The total could still grow a bit more as final donations come in and all of the money is counted.
To view a slideshow of the summer trip Kabala.
WoaWallie!
(Hello! in Koronko, the language spoken in Kabala)
Former Principal Ken Moritz and staff members Tony Winger and Shelley Harwell returned from their travels to our sister school in Sierra Leone for the school's grand opening celebrations on November 13 and 14, 2009. View our 2009 MAD Week update video below and the Sierra Leone pages for more details about past MAD Week Sierra Leone projects and about the Sierra Leone trip.
MAD Week 2008
We worked with an organization called Operation Classroom to build the Heritage School of Kabala.
The beginnings of MAD Week
After planning a successful Wish Week the year before, Community Relations members decided to see if they could make a difference on a larger scale. Through connections with people involved with Operation Classroom, Heritage students collected money, clothing, school supplies and sports equipment to Make A Difference in the lives of people in Africa. This was the beginning of what would become the tradition of MAD Week at Heritage.
MAD Week 2007
Accomplishments from MAD Week 2007: We raised $14, 014.43 which...
Watch the Mad Week video 2007!
Wish Week - 2006
Friday, April 21, 2006 marked the completion of an incredibly successful Wish Week for Heritage High School. This year Heritage High School, through Make-A-Wish Foundation, adopted the wish of Anna, a four-year-old girl suffering from a brain tumor. Anna’s wish was to go to Disney World to ride the rides and meet the characters. The entire community showed incredible generosity, raising $9583.76 over the week-long event. This will allow Heritage to support Anna’s wish as well as the wish of another child. Heritage sponsored an open mic coffee shop and a student vs. staff basketball game as fund raising events and also solicited donations throughout the week. The basketball game was our culminating event featuring faculty cheerleaders, skits, a half-court shooting contest, and a live D.J. Anna was there to join in the fun, tossing a pie in the face of our principal, Mr. Ken Moritz, and thanking our community for its support.