Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-8) presented 10-year-old Jacob Rasch of Potomac with a Congressional award on Thursday, July 21. Rasch was on Capitol Hill to testify at a Congressional Human Rights Caucus briefing on student tsunami relief efforts.
In the weeks following the tsunami disaster in December, the international community came together to render assistance. Governments around the world pledged a total of $4.23 billion, with an extra $39.6 million from various non-government organizations and individuals. The money immediately went into efforts to rehabilitate these communities.
Rasch mobilized fellow Burning Tree Elementary School students and students from other schools across the nation in an effort that raised more than $200,000 for Room to Read, a nonprofit group dedicated to rebuilding South Asian schools. Jacob created colored "awareness bracelets" that grew in popularity and were sold to children and teenagers in a display of solidarity for the victims of the tsunami disaster.