Thirteen seventh- and eighth-grade young men at Southwest Middle School are taking it upon themselves to have a mini-fundraiser of sorts for victims of the Haitian earthquake.

The Rev. George Marin of Grace Christian Church said for three years he’s mentored the young men at the school — called G’s crew — and on Tuesday the kids set a goal to raise $100 in a week to present to the local Salvation Army for assisting in Haiti.

Last year, they raised money to send food there.

Marin said the boys made a poster in their group, are taking a flyer home and asking each of their parents for a minimum $5 donation.

Multiply that $5 donation by the number of young men in the group and then add to it a $15 cash prize contribution by two of the boys, and the group should be close to reaching the $100, he said.

“It was all their idea,” Marin said.

On the counter of the receptionist’s office at the school is also a small bucket labeled with G’s Crew and raising money for Haiti.

Marin said he did not know about these buckets, but he thinks the boys might have put them out there to raise additional money.

They will see if the goal was met next Tuesday during their scheduled meeting during the school day.

Marin’s said G’s Crew formed as part of the AmeriCorps program. The group meets for 90 minutes every week, listens to speakers from the community and learns about a variety of topics.

Some of the topics include manners, good values, how to treat a lady, how to eat, walk and dress, how to prepare for the future and how to manage finances, to name a few.

Look to www.AlbertLeaTribune.com next week to see if the boys reach their goal.