[Grovenet] health, food & fundraisers, was Fern Hill Elem. Fund Raiser

[Marian Cakarnis]

I'm going to throw my two cents in on this conversation because I really
don't want my eight year old selling a bunch of overprocessed food when she
gets to High School.  She currently attends Gales Creek School which does
quite a bit of fundraising, none of which involves the kids selling
anything.  They might be at an advantage because it is such a small school
and so many parents are VERY involved.  Many of the events they have are
community minded and do require quite a bit of work, but they are generally
pretty successful.  

Some of the ideas I am most fond of involve some work and commitment.  For
example, at our house, we always have a pile of clothes that need mending.
Do they still teach Home Economics in HS?  Perhaps some of the students
could offer mending services.  I'd gladly pay someone to hem some pants or
sew the patches on my daughters Brownie Girl Scout vest.  We also have
shirts that need ironing.  How about a Saturday where we could drop off a
couple of shirts and pick them up at the end of the day and they would be
ironed?  I would much rather pay someone a premium for something like that
instead of an overpriced candy bar where the manufacturer and distributor
get most of the proceeds.  

How about a "soup kitchen" once a month, where we could buy a quart of good
homemade soup and a crusty loaf of bread for dinner?  After a long Monday at
work, it would be great to pick up a good healthy dinner that is all ready
to go.  I realize that a food handlers certificate might be required, but
it's a small investment and ridiculously easy to pass the test (75% correct
on a multiple choice test).  This could be a great learning experience for
some students to learn about food preparation etc.  Would the kitchen staff
be willing to supervise?  

I'd also like to see more activities for younger children that are led by
the older ones.  The Cheerleader and Dance camps that are held at the high
school are wonderful events for younger kids.  Perhaps there could be other,
similar events by the older students.  These would be great to have on those
school holidays when many parents still have to go to work.  An all-day Art
event.  Or a games day, where younger kids could learn how to play chess or
scrabble.  What about having a building day where Legos, Tinker Toys or
Lincoln Logs are used to build something spectacular.  Many working parents
would like to see their kids attend something if they knew they were safe
and supervised.   

Yes, I am rambling and I realize that some of these ideas do require
planning and preparation, but isn't that what is required in today's work
world?  Wouldn't these be great skills for older students to develop?
Hopefully there are others out there that think so too.  Maybe instead of
looking at what we can convince people to buy, we should look at what people
need in their lives and how we can help them.

Marian

-----Original Message-----
From: grovenet-bounces at rdrop.com [mailto:grovenet-bounces at rdrop.com] On
Behalf Of Vickie Madeoneup
Sent: Sunday, November 26, 2006 6:53 PM
To: Forest Grove local interests list
Subject: [Grovenet] health, food & fundraisers,was Fern Hill Elem. Fund
Raiser

Jane
  I am curious about something you said: "here in Forest Grove this kind of
sugary stuff can't be sold during school hours"
  I have been to the high school on several occasions and there are  vending
machines right in the main commons area and by the gym, plus  there is some
sort of a concession stand they open & the students  sell candy to the other
students. I have wondered about that practice,  especially since the
students will ask to be released from their class  for a "bathroom break"
and make a stop by the vending machines. It is  frequent enough that there
has been talk of putting timers on the  vending machines. 
  I read a book recently (Fast Food Nation, I think it was, or maybe  Super
Size Me) that said schools get incentives from Coke (Pepsi) for  encouraging
their products in school and even lobbying to allow the  beverages in the
classroom. True??? I don't know.
  And so that is why your statement "here in Forest Grove this kind of
sugary stuff can't be sold during school hours" caught my interest.
  
  Vickie
  

Phoenixacm at aol.com wrote:  
Hi, Vickie,

No, I don't have any magical answers for raising millions of dollars for the

organizations that need and deserve it, but I do think that organizations, 
like individuals, have to ask themselves if their behavior is consistent
with 
their values.  There is no shortage of things that could be sold to raise
money.  
 (My husband is the Director of Bands at Pacific University, so he is very 
familiar with things sold by band supporters.)   If you are talking about
food, 
fruit is very popular including citrus fruit and local type fruits like
apples 
and pears.   Nuts are popular and heart healthy if you have unsalted
options. 
  Even popcorn can be healthy if you have low fat, low salt options.

The federal government has mandated that all schools have a health and 
wellness policy.   Many schools have just done the minimum on this since the
mandate 
was not funded, but here in Forest Grove this kind of sugary stuff can't be 
sold during school hours.   So what kind of message are you sending by
selling 
it after school?

About two or three times a year a school requests a gift certificate from me

for a school auction and I am always happy to oblige.   They never say if
they 
actually make any money from them.

I would love to be able to say, "Here's something that you can sell that
will 
make thousands of dollars for your school and not destroy anyone's health or

the environment."   But since I can't say that, I said exactly what I felt:

I hope you make a lot of money, I hope no one eats those donuts, I hope you 
rethink your fund-raisers for next year.

Jane Burch-Pesses




> Jane
>  
>   Do you have any suggestions for fundraisers?
>   This is a constant battle for schools, churches & non-profits and they 
> always welcome any ideas!
>  
>   Vickie
> 
> 

_______________________________________________
GroveNet mailing list
GroveNet at rdrop.com
http://www.rdrop.com/mailman/listinfo/grovenet


 
---------------------------------
Want to start your own business? Learn how on Yahoo! Small Business.
_______________________________________________
GroveNet mailing list
GroveNet at rdrop.com
http://www.rdrop.com/mailman/listinfo/grovenet