Students collect blankets for babies in need

RIDGEFIELD — Laura Gosnell’s fifth-grade class at Sunset Ridge Intermediate School successfully ran a baby blanket drive in April. Students were inspired after reading “Real Life Superheroes” by Alison Hawes and learning of the work of Thomas Barnardo, a doctor and social worker who founded an orphanage and school for homeless children. The donations the class received from the drive were given to Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center and to Babies in Need, a volunteer ministry that helps newborns and their families in Clark and Cowlitz counties. “This was such a rewarding experience for my students,” Gosnell said in a news release. “This was a true act of kindness, and I am proud of each student for their inspiration.”