Every school year, Krop’s clubs host fundraisers and item/food collections. Through these events, our school’s clubs are leaving a positive impact in our community.
Club drives and fundraisers are done for the club’s benefit, such as assistance with fees and paying for events or to provide aid to other organizations. Most fundraisers or drives are arranged individually by club, but some are required yearly for all.
One of these fundraisers is the Thanksgiving food drive, done every November. Participating club members are required to bring a selected food item part of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Each club fills up a basket with the items, which are collected by Activities Director Michelle Russell.
“Twenty baskets were donated to Krop families, Krop staff, or those living in Krop’s neighborhood,” Russell said. “Five baskets were donated to the Broward Outreach Center, ten extra boxes of food were donated to Feeding South Florida, and $150 in Publix gift cards were donated to Krop students.”
Another annual fundraiser is Lily’s Walk, promoted by the Happiness and Wellbeing Club and sponsor and Psychology teacher Arturo Tenacio. Students make a $10 donation and walk a mile in the school’s track field. The fundraiser’s donations go to the Lily’s Wellness Foundation, a non-profit organization that aids people with disabilities. This school year, the fundraiser took place on Dec. 7.
“Lily’s Walk was created by my students the first year I was a teacher,” Tenacio said. “It creates awareness for people with special needs, and a strong sense of community as students come together to help those who need it the most.”
Fundraisers provide aid to students as well. These drives and community service events may earn students community service hours, which are a mandatory requirement for graduation. They also benefit as club members, as they also cover some fees.
A commonly used fundraising method by clubs, sports and programs at our school is the selling of the World’s Finest Chocolate chocolate boxes. Amongst these is the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC), whose cadets sell chocolates to fund the program in various aspects.
“The fundraiser is for the program’s benefit and field trips for the drill team,” cadet and senior Julissa Escobar said. “Commander and Master Chief use the money earned to pay for everything that is needed such as equipment, and it helps us go [to field trips] for free.”
Student fundraisers’ various benefits serve as a philanthropic outlet for students, in a way instilling the importance of helping out in the community, making students become better.