In hopes of helping out Manhattan High students, the Gay Straight Alliance and Anime Club have spent two years teaming up to raise money. Their fundraiser is centered around coffee, tea and cookie sales through Giving Bean.

GSA and Anime Club’s goal is to purchase a filtered water bottle filling station to put in the school. The cost settles around $2,000, and both clubs believe that after two years of fundraising, they will have just enough money.

“Teachers and parents really love [the fundraiser] because everyone loves coffee,” GSA president Cody Bell, senor, said.  

While this is GSA’s current agenda, one of their biggest events takes place in April of this year. April 22 sets the date for this year’s Little Apple Pride Parade, an event where people of different sexual and romantic identities and genders and their allies come together to celebrate their community. The event is known to be — and told it always will be — a family-friendly event, open to everyone and anyone all of ages and backgrounds. The parade is often held down on Poyntz before moving into Aggieville’s Triangle Park to being their party and celebration.

Last year, GSA took part in the event by marching in the parade and setting up a booth to have fellow pride-goers admire the work they had done to spread their message of equality throughout MHS. Their mediums have involved posters, signings, fundraisers, presentations and even travelling to other schools to educate teachers and staff about their cause and what they can do to help spread the message.

As for right now, GSA has spent their last week doing their part when it came to the Giving Bean fundraiser, and are hoping to raise the money required to supply the school with a water bottle filling station before moving on to the next item on their agenda.