Valley Students Raise Funds For Boomerang Backpack Program
Valley Students Raise Funds For Boomerang Backpack Program
Posted
David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
Valley Students Raise Funds For Boomerang Backpack ProgramAKRON - Students in Ben Rogers' sports and entertainment marketing class at Tippecanoe Valley High School have worked on many projects.
But the students' efforts to help Tippecanoe Valley School Corp. publicize and raise money for the Boomerang Backpack program could mean a needy student won't go hungry on the weekends this school year.
Families have to sign their children up for the program. Children who receive the backpacks receive them on Fridays and then return the backpacks on Mondays. Inside the backpacks are items like peanut butter, cereal, oatmeal and macaroni and cheese. The contents change weekly.
Principal Kirk Doehrmann told Rogers' class Tuesday that the need in the community is getting greater. Sixty percent of the students at the elementary level are free or reduced lunch students. At the high school, 40 percent are free or reduced lunch students, though that rate is probably higher because high school students don't like to identify as such.
For some Valley students, Doehrmann said the only meals they get are the breakfast and lunch they eat at school.
"Boomerang Backpack allows us to help these kids out," Doehrmann said.
What Rogers' students are doing gets him excited, he said. Right now Valley will only be able to provide about 70 students with meals for the weekend during the school year. If Rogers' class can help Valley raise at least $15,000, Valley can help provide nutritious weekend meals for 300 kids for the year.
This is the second year for the Boomerang Backpack program at Valley. This year, letters are due back by Friday from parents who want their child to participate in the program. The meals will begin being sent home Oct. 15.
Valley's program is copied from a similar one at East Noble. Wawasee Schools also has started a program.
Rogers said his students have done some research on the program. Each student has been assigned a local business to distribute a pamphlet to this week.
"The initial stage of this is to flood the market and get the word out," Rogers said.
After the pamphlets have been distributed and students have done all their research, they will be taught how to solicit those businesses for donations to the Boomerang Backpack program. Students then will contact the companies to see if they can provide assistance for the program.
Rogers said when he originally talked to the class about helping with the program, they were really pumped about it.
Deb Miller, Akron Elementary School, said Boomerang is a great program and there are so many kids in need.
"There's a lot more kids we can help" with the class' work, Miller told the students.
Akron and Mentone elementary students and administrators also are working to help raise money for the program.
Junior Keandra Williams has already made initial contact with her business. The business seemed interested immediately, she said.
"I think I'm glad the high school is getting into it because the high schoolers think we can do anything and they don't realize how much people need," Williams said.
When students hear about the program, Williams said it makes them stop and think about it.
Freshman Mitch Randall's business also sounded interested in the program, he said.
"I thought it was a really cool idea and it's good our school is getting into it," Randall said of Boomerang. "It's a great idea to help others."
While Williams and Randall both said $15,000 was a lot of money to raise, they both said it was possible. Williams said they could have something like a Halloween carnival to raise money, while Randall said they needed to get ads and stands up to let people know about the program.
"It's about being at the right place at the right time," Randall said.
Rogers said, ideally for him, he would like to see them complete the project by the end of the calendar year.
For more information about Boomerang Backpacks, contact Doehrmann at 574-353-7031.
