Change Matters, the student community service and philanthropy initiative which raises awareness and funds for Grassroots, takes some creative forms at local schools. Here are some recent examples:
Lime Kiln Middle School sold chances to “pie” the school’s principal and grade team leaders and raised $664.
Cub Scouts from Pack 1702 in Fulton celebrated their Blue and Gold Dinner with a fundraising event for Grassroots. They paid $5 to “pie” their Cubmaster and good sport, Michael Wilson. They raised $210.
St. Louis School Student Council raised more than $1,000by holding a “Kiss the Cow” contest, rewarding three winning teachers with the opportunity to kiss a two-year old Jersey cow in front of the student body. Students “voted” for the winners by depositing money into a jar labeled with the name of a favorite teacher or faculty member. The change went to Grassroots.
Atholton High School, Hammond High School and Wilde Lake High School recently held Empty Bowls events, attracting students and their families to dinner together at the schools, where $10 bought soup, bread and a handmade bowl.
One of the most popular of Change Matters fundraisers is the Zumbathon. A recent session at Glenelg High School, led by Tracy Cox, raised $230.
Penny Wars at Patapsco Middle School pitted classes against one another in a win-win contest that had students donating pennies and paper money to their homeroom collection boxes as “positive cash flow” and donating silver coins to other homeroom collection boxes as “negative cash flow.” The sixth graders selected Grassroots as the beneficiary of their combined $1,644 collection.
Change Matters coordinator Cathy Smith visited The Common Ground Show, hosted and attended by the middle and high school students at Bridgeway Community Church. She discussed Grassroots’ efforts at suicide prevention. The church’s first-fifth graders, Bridgekids, collected $832.02 in change to combat homelessness.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help School teacher Tom Rolando and his son, Tommy, a Mt. St. Joseph High School junior, recently organized an event at OLPH School to raise awareness of people who are homeless. The duo spent 17 hours sleeping outside on the campus of the school. They collected $755.11 and over 500 food and personal items from school, parish and other community members to donate to Grassroots. The third-fifth graders in OLPH Catechism Classes also collected $1,156.32 for Lent.
The campaign at Glenwood Middle School included a change collection of $972.34 and gathering supplies and filling 20 “Motel Boxes” of food and other items for families living in the emergency shelters in local motels. A selected group of students delivered the boxes to Grassroots.
