We Are Suckers for Helping Kids!
Donation protected
Hello! I am a School Social Worker at a wonderful school, named Hawthorn Middle School South in Vernon Hills, Illinois.
I am working in a class this year with Mr. Michael Sementa, a former Golden Apple Award winner. Mike is a Science teacher, and this year is his first year at School District #73. However, he volunteered to take on extra work already by volunteering to teach a pilot curriculum on Social Entrepreneurship, which was made available to us by the charity organization Free the Children. We have partnered with Free the Children to provide various service learning opportunities for our middle school students. Our students have learned so much during the past few months!
In Social Entrepreneurship class, the twenty-two students first needed to collaborate and determine what type of population they would like to assist, and what type of cause they would like to work for. After many research and brainstorming sessions, the students decided that they would like to help juvenile cancer patients. Further discussions and contact with agencies servicing this population led us to realize that we were somewhat limited the types of work we could do. We then learned that children undergoing chemotherapy report a bad taste in their mouth, which does not go away after brushing and rinsing.
We learned of a non-profit agency called Handing Hope, which provides a certain type of sucker (lollipop) that is all natural and tastes great. The suckers are sugar free, gluten free, peanut free, and free of artificial preservatives and colors. They are provided to juvenile cancer patients free of charge at various hospitals. Handing Hope needs an organization or agency to sponsor the cost of "planting" and maintaining each lollipop tree for a year. Our tree will be "planted" at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois once we raise $3,000.
We will be selling these suckers at lunch periods and after school for $1 each, and we are also seeking individual and corporate donations. If an individual donates $100, they may choose to have a photo of a loved one who has been affected by cancer on a tree topper. In this way, we can honor some cherished individuals. Corporate sponsorships are available at $250, with name/logo recognition on the tree topper.
We have a short time frame in which to raise $3,000. Our planning process has been time consuming, and we want to have our tree "planted" before the school year ends. We are hoping to reach our fundraising goal by April 15.
Our students have learned much already. Mike and I really want our students to be successful with this project, so that they will be encouraged to go on and work on other service projects in the future. The children are our future, and our children are looking to do something great for other children that they know are not as fortunate as them at this time.
We all would truly appreciate any assistance that you could provide!
If you would like more information on Handing Hope, you may go to their website at handinghope.org. Should you have questions, please feel free to contact me.
Thank you for your time in reading this!
I am working in a class this year with Mr. Michael Sementa, a former Golden Apple Award winner. Mike is a Science teacher, and this year is his first year at School District #73. However, he volunteered to take on extra work already by volunteering to teach a pilot curriculum on Social Entrepreneurship, which was made available to us by the charity organization Free the Children. We have partnered with Free the Children to provide various service learning opportunities for our middle school students. Our students have learned so much during the past few months!
In Social Entrepreneurship class, the twenty-two students first needed to collaborate and determine what type of population they would like to assist, and what type of cause they would like to work for. After many research and brainstorming sessions, the students decided that they would like to help juvenile cancer patients. Further discussions and contact with agencies servicing this population led us to realize that we were somewhat limited the types of work we could do. We then learned that children undergoing chemotherapy report a bad taste in their mouth, which does not go away after brushing and rinsing.
We learned of a non-profit agency called Handing Hope, which provides a certain type of sucker (lollipop) that is all natural and tastes great. The suckers are sugar free, gluten free, peanut free, and free of artificial preservatives and colors. They are provided to juvenile cancer patients free of charge at various hospitals. Handing Hope needs an organization or agency to sponsor the cost of "planting" and maintaining each lollipop tree for a year. Our tree will be "planted" at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois once we raise $3,000.
We will be selling these suckers at lunch periods and after school for $1 each, and we are also seeking individual and corporate donations. If an individual donates $100, they may choose to have a photo of a loved one who has been affected by cancer on a tree topper. In this way, we can honor some cherished individuals. Corporate sponsorships are available at $250, with name/logo recognition on the tree topper.
We have a short time frame in which to raise $3,000. Our planning process has been time consuming, and we want to have our tree "planted" before the school year ends. We are hoping to reach our fundraising goal by April 15.
Our students have learned much already. Mike and I really want our students to be successful with this project, so that they will be encouraged to go on and work on other service projects in the future. The children are our future, and our children are looking to do something great for other children that they know are not as fortunate as them at this time.
We all would truly appreciate any assistance that you could provide!
If you would like more information on Handing Hope, you may go to their website at handinghope.org. Should you have questions, please feel free to contact me.
Thank you for your time in reading this!
Organizer and beneficiary
April Gilman Foley
Organizer
Vernon Hills, IL
Kimberly Bavilacqua
Beneficiary
