Valley Students Help Families for Christmas
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
Since the fall, the high school’s student council has been fundraising at football games, selling Port-a-pit chicken, creating a corporation-wide challenge and soliciting donations from local businesses in support of the Students Helping Other People program.
According to Tippecanoe Valley High School Student Council sponsor Crystal Heckaman, this year the school corporation had a challenge to see which school could raise the most money for the program. The winning school’s staff got to wear blue jeans the week of Christmas break, she said.
Heckaman said through the corporation challenge, $1,400 was raised for SHOP. The Akron Elementary staff raised $670, narrowly beating the high school staff and winning the jeans challenge.
From all the fundraising efforts, $3,000 was raised. That’s double the amount raised in past years, which averaged $1,200 to $1,400.
A total of 30 students from Mentone and Akron elementaries each got $100 to go Christmas shopping Wednesday afternoon for themselves and their families.
“Guidance counselors chose them based on the financial need of the family,” Heckaman said.
The counselors are Deb Miller and Caroline Schlemmer.
Valley’s free and reduced lunch population is around 60 percent.
High school and middle school student council members and the Lady Vikings basketball team rode by school bus Wednesday to Walmart in Warsaw to help the kids with their shopping.
After the hour-long shopping spree, students returned to Tippecanoe Valley Middle School to eat a donated meal and wrap the presents.
“I would say it’s important to give to kids who typically don’t get anything,” said student council co-president senior Courtney Newsome. “It shows kids there are people out there who care. ... The joy on their face makes me appreciate all I have. It makes me feel good about myself knowing I’ve helped some little kid who doesn’t get (much).”
Parents were asked in advance to fill out a paper about their child’s needs and wants. If there’s a sibling, they also were asked for that child’s wants and needs, Newsome said.
“Sometimes when we get here, it all goes out the window,” she said. “It’s all fun. If you have a cooperative kid and they listen to you, it’s fun.”
Newsome said the fundraising for the program was probably the easiest part because people are willing to give. The hard part, she said, is organizing the event each year and making sure it runs smoothly.
“We’ve never had a huge problem,” she said.
“I think it’s a very productive program,” said senior Dan Miller, who was shopping with a boy and a girl. “It helps the community, it helps the kids. It’s very educational and it’s a good way to give back.”
Eighth-grade student council member Michelle Keenan was participating in the program for the first time Wednesday.
“I’m just glad they get to get what people who have the money do,” Keenan said. “If they’re happy, that’s the greatest thing.”
“This is actually my fifth year of doing this, and after each time each year you feel like you want to go out and buy presents for others also,” said Nolan Sponseller, junior.
He said he’s learned “that you can have fun doing anything. It looks harder than it is. It’s an enjoyable process, especially if they behave for you. You have to act like a kid, also.”
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Since the fall, the high school’s student council has been fundraising at football games, selling Port-a-pit chicken, creating a corporation-wide challenge and soliciting donations from local businesses in support of the Students Helping Other People program.
According to Tippecanoe Valley High School Student Council sponsor Crystal Heckaman, this year the school corporation had a challenge to see which school could raise the most money for the program. The winning school’s staff got to wear blue jeans the week of Christmas break, she said.
Heckaman said through the corporation challenge, $1,400 was raised for SHOP. The Akron Elementary staff raised $670, narrowly beating the high school staff and winning the jeans challenge.
From all the fundraising efforts, $3,000 was raised. That’s double the amount raised in past years, which averaged $1,200 to $1,400.
A total of 30 students from Mentone and Akron elementaries each got $100 to go Christmas shopping Wednesday afternoon for themselves and their families.
“Guidance counselors chose them based on the financial need of the family,” Heckaman said.
The counselors are Deb Miller and Caroline Schlemmer.
Valley’s free and reduced lunch population is around 60 percent.
High school and middle school student council members and the Lady Vikings basketball team rode by school bus Wednesday to Walmart in Warsaw to help the kids with their shopping.
After the hour-long shopping spree, students returned to Tippecanoe Valley Middle School to eat a donated meal and wrap the presents.
“I would say it’s important to give to kids who typically don’t get anything,” said student council co-president senior Courtney Newsome. “It shows kids there are people out there who care. ... The joy on their face makes me appreciate all I have. It makes me feel good about myself knowing I’ve helped some little kid who doesn’t get (much).”
Parents were asked in advance to fill out a paper about their child’s needs and wants. If there’s a sibling, they also were asked for that child’s wants and needs, Newsome said.
“Sometimes when we get here, it all goes out the window,” she said. “It’s all fun. If you have a cooperative kid and they listen to you, it’s fun.”
Newsome said the fundraising for the program was probably the easiest part because people are willing to give. The hard part, she said, is organizing the event each year and making sure it runs smoothly.
“We’ve never had a huge problem,” she said.
“I think it’s a very productive program,” said senior Dan Miller, who was shopping with a boy and a girl. “It helps the community, it helps the kids. It’s very educational and it’s a good way to give back.”
Eighth-grade student council member Michelle Keenan was participating in the program for the first time Wednesday.
“I’m just glad they get to get what people who have the money do,” Keenan said. “If they’re happy, that’s the greatest thing.”
“This is actually my fifth year of doing this, and after each time each year you feel like you want to go out and buy presents for others also,” said Nolan Sponseller, junior.
He said he’s learned “that you can have fun doing anything. It looks harder than it is. It’s an enjoyable process, especially if they behave for you. You have to act like a kid, also.”
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