As I've shared before, I am one of three sponsors for my high school's Key/Community Service Club. We partner with a local Kiwanis group, and the local Red Cross (of course: how could I do any kind of volunteer work with students and not get them involved with the Red Cross???). We are trying to raise money to attend conferences. As of right now, we have the funds and permission for 3 students plus one advisor (likely me) to attend the Red Cross National convention in Baltimore. We are hoping to come up with funding for 5-8 students to attend the Key Club District convention, and for students to attend a Red Cross Youth Leadership seminar in May. This last one is going to be tough as it is in St. Louis and will require buying plane tickets. Plane tickets are really expensive, especially to the parents of a high school student!
Our local Red Cross has supported this effort by giving us things to put in the Exam Kits that we are selling. Exam kits are little bags that have some junk food, candy, a little stress-reliever, a pen & pencil, and a bottle of water. The local Red Cross provided the water to us, and then also threw in some very nice CD cases that we had been given as a promotional item. Students in the club stayed after school to finish the bags. We're also selling candy bars.
Mind, now, selling junk food really does go against my better judgment, and I've never allowed students to sell candy before, so I feel a little guilty about furthering the bad eating habits of some teens. Hopefully, the guilt will be worth it as the students get a chance to attend training sessions and network with other teen volunteers.
3 comments:
My totally snarky post of the day: Personally I've always felt that giving the "service" label to selling stuff people don't really need but you want them to buy because it will raise money for something is at best cheesy... and all too often benefits some middle person far, far more than the folks in need... and keeps us safely distanced from the need. Keep those candy bar fundraiser companies afloat!
Looks like the Red Cross is the middle person here, though, which is different... they *will* actually do some service besides selling junk food?
(Fact: in your shoes I'd do the same thing you're doing, with enthusiasm... but I *would* be creatively considering what I could do to make service more ... serving... making what they sell - like making school mascot baseball caps using felt to turn a cap into a ... oh, lobster or warrior or...)
The students in the club have already, this year participated in the following service projects: a Kiwanis Family Picnic, Neighborhood Festival, Neighborhood Clean-Up, UNICEF (with an additional bake sale to earn more money for UNICEF), Ride for the Red (a fundraiser for disaster services), local elementary school winter wonderland festival, county social services holiday bazaar, and wrapping gifts for a sheltered employment agency.
And these are just the activities that we have sponsored as a group. Each student also does community service on their own either through church or other clubs.
This is the first fundraiser in the 3 years the club has been at the school that the money goes to the club and not another non-profit. The last two school years in addition to Unicef, the students also did bake sales for the March of Dimes, and a penny can collection for Hurricane Katrina (in 2005).
As for making what they sell: the students ordered, shopped, asked, and put together the bags on their own. They chose what they would sell. Unfortunately, there is no other place to come up with funds for the students to attend the conventions.
Sure doesn't sound like you're taking the easy way out :D And hey, if the Red Cross is the middle person, that's not a bad thing...
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