Connecting Schools With Great Fundraising Ideas.

The Art Factory of Augusta, Georgia will hold its second annual Art in the Attic fundraising sale on Saturday, November 17th. Last year’s sale offered beautiful artwork in various mediums: from folk art to art prints to pottery. The yard sale style fundraiser benefits the $15,000 in scholarship funds that the school awards each year to students. No one is turned away from the Art Factory as a student for financial reasons.

Shoppers can find unique pieces, just in time for holiday gift giving — many at bargain prices. The sale begins very early (literally at dawn) and runs until twelve noon.

It’s sort of like art adoption. We want to find people to adopt these pieces and love them,” Cindy O’Brien, Director of the Art Factory said. So many of the board members and artists who donated pieces had purchased or made and loved them for many years. But tastes change, people move and marry and separate, and artwork that may have worked in one setting stops suiting when the background changes. The work is more than someone else’s cast-offs. It’s a collective history of Augusta’s art lovers and it showcases a lifetime of learning and growing with the visual arts community.

Source: Metro Spirit

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The Villa Pizza Restaurant in Orfordville, Wisconsin is hosting a fundraiser for the Brodhead High School Choir December 2nd. The Brodhead High School Choir is performing the popular show “Guys and Dolls” on Sunday, November 25th. Group members and parents will be waiting and busing tables and also acting as host during special show hours from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.. A percentage of business done within these hours will benefit the “Guys and Dolls” show.

This is the first time the restaurant has done this program for the high school. The restaurant has participated in other fundraisers for local schools.

Source: The Monroe Times

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Indiana University students raised more than $1 million to benefit the Riley Hospital for Children Indianapolis, Indiana with their popular annual dance marathon held DATE. Over 2,000 students danced for charity and fun at the Bloomington, Indiana campus. This was the 17th annual dance marathon for charity held by the university.

The event is held for 36-hours. It includes dancing, socializing and guest speakers.

“The measure of the health of a society is how that society cares for its children. Through (the) dance marathon you have showed that this is a very healthy society,” said Michael McRobbie, president of Indiana University, in a news release. “You have all been dancing for the treatment of children at Riley Hospital for Children. I am very proud of you all and the university is very proud of you all.”

The Indiana University Dance Marathon is directed by a student-run member council of 20 participants. They plan fundraising activities year-round to benefit and support the dance marathon.

Source: Indystar.com

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The GE Foundation awarded a $22 million College Bound District grant to the Atlanta Public Schools in Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday, October 30th. This is the largest privately funded grant ever for the Atlanta school district.

The grant was presented by Bob Corcoran, President of the GE Foundation to Superintendent Dr. Beverly L. Hall. The crowd attending the ceremony included GE Vice Chairman and President of Atlanta-based GE Energy John Rice; Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin; and the U.S. Secretary of Education’s regional representative Dr. Anne Hancock.

The GE Foundation has been involved with the Atlanta school district for many years. In 1995 they assisted Southside with a volunteer program to improve academic performance. In 2002 the foundation awarded Southside Comprehensive High School a five-year, $1 million “College Bound” grant to improve their college entry rates.

“Our connection with the Atlanta community is strong and this grant makes it even stronger,” John Rice said.“Our employees are a significant resource for Atlanta’s students. We are committed to helping them learning about engineering, science, math and technology. We want them to be competitive in the global work place. The better off they are today, the better off we all will be tomorrow.”

Superintendent Hall stated that the grant would assist the district in creating her vision of a math and science curriculum.

“The GE Foundation will play a key role in changing – for the better – the lives of 51,000 children who attend Atlanta Public Schools,” Superintendent Hall said. “Our children will learn math and science from real-life examples. As the world relies more and more on technology and analysis, hands-on experience is the best way to learn. We thank the GE Foundation for the opportunities this grant will allow– not only over the next five years, but for the lifetime of our children.”

Atlanta Public School students have improved performance in both math and science in every grade level over the past seven years. But their performance still is shows a need for improvement. The grant from the GE Foundation will help address these goals.

Sources: Atlanta Business Chronicle, GE News Center

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Would you really want to pucker up and kiss a pig to raise money for your school?  How about a goat?  Or a turtle?  When it comes to the infamous “kiss” fundraiser students can be pretty creative.

Students at one school, voting with their loose change, picked a teacher to kiss a goat.

The students, parents and staff at the school dropped money into milk bottles one bottle assigned to each teacher or staff member at the school. The teacher, administrator or staff member whose milk bottle contained the most money at the end of the fundraiser had to pucker up to a goat

Kramer was unpleasantly surprised when she ended up having to smooch the animal. She was pleasantly surprised to learn that that kiss, as unpleasant as it might have been, brought in close to $800 for her school.

Whether students vote for teachers to kiss a goat, kiss a pig or any other strange thing, it’s all about the “I dare Ya” of it and seeing their teacher do something they wouldn’t normally do.   Teachers rule the classroom, but once in awhile students get to have their day to be the boss too.

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The Valley View Elementary School PTA held their annual Walkathon on Thursday, October 11th in Ellensburg, Washington. They raised $13,647 — and because of their efforts, Principal Brenda Welch came to school for Friday, October 26th on rollerblades.

Funds raised will benefit PTA programs like author visits and school assemblies. The PTA will also fund 100% of entry fees for field trips. The school raised $6,000 more than the average that was raised in previous years.

The school made their walkathon fun with unique fundraising prizes students found appealing. One student, Taylor Wilson who raised $349.46 gets to be Principal for a day. Principal Welch has other challenges based on how much was raised. If the school raised $9,000, she would dye her hair and also wear roller blades on Friday, October 26th. If the school raised $11,000, she would jump in the pool with all of her clothes on at the $200 club pool party. If the school raised $13,000, a student would get to throw a pie in her ace at an upcoming awards assembly.

Source: DailyRecord

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Many school groups over the years have used the “world’s greatest” chocolate bars from the World’s Finest Chocolate company to raise funds. These chocolate bars have been a staple for many school PTA groups, marching bands and other school groups.There are so many different varieties available - milk chocolate, chocolate with almonds, chocolate crispy, and so much more. There are bars of several sizes too. Your group sells these bars to supporters for $1, $2 and $5.

The greatest bars to raise funds with are the $2 King Size bars since your group earns more profit on each bar and you don’t have to sell as many bars to make the same profit. World’s Finest Chocolate also makes great $5 bars and boxed chocolates which are also great.

No matter which one you choose you will sure to be creating a winning fundraiser when you choose the bar that has been made famous simply because of its great taste and its great fundraising potential.

> Find out more about World’s Finest Chocolate

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