Recent Fundraising Events
CMA Gifting Suite
Blessings in a Backpack was invited by Style Icon to be the charity benefiting from the Country Music Association (CMA) and Style Lounge in Nashville, Tennessee. Thank you Andre Wilson for this incredible opportunity!
Grace Potter, CMA Nominee
Beth Sprietzer Draws Local Awareness to Blessings in a Cadillac Way
Beth Spreitzer was invited in the summer of 2010 to be part of the “Cadillac Driving Experience” created to promote their Cadillac SRX crossover. Claude Nolan Cadillac in Jacksonville, FL, asked Beth to drive the new vehicle for 1 month and blog about her experience. She was competing to win $2500 for her favorite charity – she was driving for Blessings in a Backpack.
(Pictured from left: Bruce Strickland, Claude Nolan Sales Mgr.; Nancy Carter, Principal; Beth Spreitzer, Blessings Program Leader - Jacksonville; Caryn Fyfe, Volunteer Coordinator.)
Beth ended the month in 3rd place, but because she was so passionate about Blessings, Marc Helmick, General Manager of the Claude Nolan dealership, wanted to learn more and find a way that they could still help local children in the program. Marc engaged their marketing group and quickly developed a promotion to raise funds for the local chapter of Blessings so that start another school in the Duval county area. In November of 2010, they donated $80 for every new car sold, raising $3200 for Hyde Grove Elementary. The fundraiser was a huge success and they hope to repeat the promotion in the Spring of 2011.
6 yr old Trinity Makes Ornaments to Raise Money for Hungry Kids
Trinity was recently in her kitchen stringing her jewels on a wire calling them suncatchers. Trinity made several of them for her family and neighbor, Ella.
Last year, Trinity sold baked goods to raise money for her ice skating dress for a local competition. And since she hears us talking about our Landscaping business, she decided to make creating suncatchers her own business. We did not need to raise money for ice skating we thought about looking for something that would help children in need.
A few days later I saw a young woman (Liz Murray) being interviewed from CNN about a her first book. She spoke about being on homeless and when she was working her way through high school there were a certain few who helped her. It encouraged this girl so much that someone cared. Well, she did very well in highschool and got into Harvard where she graduated and was promoting her first book giving a portion of her proceeds to Blessings in a Backpack!
Trinity said she wanted to help other children get food too. So she decided to sell her suncatchers to raise money! Being that Christmas was coming it was perfect timing to make the suncatchers ornaments that could be sold. She has raised enough to feed one child for an entired school year (so far)! The next step might be to have a children's art studio display her suncatchers!
Becca's Bake Sale - a Huge Success!
Becca Lustig is an inspirational 12 yr. old. She recently learned about the Blessings in a Backpack program and wanted to do something to help the under privileged children in her area while satisfying special school and community project credits. She and her mother decided to hold a bake sale Oct. 28-30, 2010, at the Kentucky Exposition Center during the Green Expo. This venue was essential to their success, a large captive audience for 3 days. The Expo center was more than happy to help, also donating baked goods, use of a table setup with bakery racks and refrigerators. They solicited fresh baked goods from local hotels, bakeries and caterers to sell for $1-2.50 each to raise money for Blessings.
The result: Becca raised over $2050 in 3 days. Blessings would like to thank everyone who was involved and supported the project.
6 ½ yr. old Crista Cappuccilli Helps Fellow Classmates
It all started one day in April when Crista’s mom picked her up from school. She got into the car and said to her mom, “I know you taught me to share but my friend is out of control!" She told her mother that she had been sharing her lunch with a friend for the past three weeks and the girl was now at the point of eating her entire lunch plus the lunch the girl was getting through school. Crista's teacher explained that there are many kids who have very little or nothing to eat at home and count on what they get at school. Crista, along with her parents, were disturbed by learning this. They asked the school how they could help. On the following Monday an article published in the local paper about Blessings in a Backpack coming to Citrus County, Florida. They decided to help and finally settled on a unique idea of selling pretty little silver “HOPE” bracelets. The bracelets have a silver ribbon on them, somewhat like the pink cancer ribbon, and could be bought at $15/each to support hungry kids.
The bracelets were a big hit and Crista sold 18 of them the first week. So far Crista has raised $745, received $1000 from the Hope for Children foundation, $700 from close friends and her past preschool teacher, plus lots of food donations from the parents at that school. And most recently a check for $500 was received from Crystal Automotive with a letter asking Crista to use that money to buy more bracelets and continue her efforts helping the children of Citrus County, Florida chapter of Blessings in a Backpack.
Angela's Backpack Drive - Inspiring Success
Angela McLean, a budding journalist and seventh-grade student in Toronto, Canada, has helped raise 188 backpacks for Blessings in a Backpack through several methods. She raised 100 at an event at her local mall, 54 from a drive she set up at her school, 5 by donating them herself, and 29 from a young Canadian actor named Austin MacDonald.
Angela, who wrote her first article for her local paper at age 8, is a talented and driven young lady. She became familiar with Blessings in a Backpack after seeing Hilary Duff and Stan Curtis speak at press conference opening Canada’s first Blessing in a Backpack program in 2009. Angela was so impressed by Hilary and her passion to help less fortunate children, she made it her mission to help. After the press conference, Angela attended a charity dinner where she heard Hilary speak of the need for more backpacks. Inspired, Angela quickly went to work organizing a backpack drive at her school.
Angela, with her mom at her side, approached her school’s principal and vice-principal who agreed to a September 2009 Backpack Raiser. She busily spread the word about the backpack drive by making posters and announcements, as well as providing details in the school newsletter. She was even able to leverage her media contacts to encourage donations.
We thank Angela for her hard work and dedication in supporting the Blessings in a Backpack program and encourage others to create their own way to raise backpacks!