Did you know that even Brant United Way Member Agencies have their role to play in the annual Brant United Way fundraising campaign? Enter “Crunch Day For United Way”, a nutritious and fun way we chose to collaborate with student nutrition programs to achieve our fundraising goal for the campaign.
Student Nutrition Programs supported by Brant Food For Thought were challenged to host a “Crunch Day” during the first two weeks of November. Programs were encouraged to offer apples to students during a nutrition break in exchange for a small contribution to the Brant United Way.
Holy Family School in Paris started the “Crunch Day” campaign on November 3rd. Organized by Kerri Reston, the school enjoyed apples on a regular snack day while raising funds for the Brant United Way.
St. Patrick School hosted their Crunch Day on November 4th. Under the watchful eye of Snack Program Coordinator Erin Hope, students collected donations from classmates eager to purchase an apple donated in part by Brantwood Farms and Erin Hope. Students also visited the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board Office and continued to collect donations from staff and principals who were at the office attending a meeting.
St. Pius X Crunch Day volunteers (from left to right) Bella, Mikaela, Luke and Ava
Jen Rudyk, Principal at St. Pius X School, along with a group of students, organized their Crunch Day on November 9th. Students Bella, Mikaela, Luke and Ava collected donations and ensured each student received an apple in return. When asked about their Crunch Day, Rudyk replied “we held our first “Crunch Day for United Way” on Wednesday, November 9th. Orchard Home Farm graciously donated apples for us to sell”. Student volunteers made posters advertising Crunch Day, and sold apples to the students and to the visitors who stopped in at the school. Rudyk continued “We invited parents to send in a donation of at least 25 cents to support the campaign. Some students made donations of $2.00 to $5.00 and shared their apples with their friends. By the end of the day, we raised $135.00 for the United Way. Through their support of “Crunch Day” and the United Way, and by sharing with their friends, our students demonstrated this year’s School Board theme: “Love Tenderly”.
Jessie Fels and Kayla Paulmert from the Boys and Girls Club of Brantford hosted two different “Crunch Days” on November 4th and 10th. The Boys and Girls Club, also a member agency of Brant United Way operates after school programs in Brantford Schools. Their fundraising initiative was an opportunity to support another member agency while raising funds for the United Way.
Our final Crunch Day was held on November 22 at North Park Collegiate and Vocational School. Organized by teacher Laura Craig, students visited each homeroom class to collect donations and hand out apples. During lunch, students set up a table outside the cafeteria and were able to continue to collect donations throughout the lunch hour.
Thank you to Kerri, Erin, Jen, Kayla, Jessie and Laura for your enthusiasm in supporting our Crunch Day. In total “Crunch Day 2016” helped us raise over $525 for the Brant United Way!