Community Notebook: Donate to School Fundraisers, WCHF Gives Grant to Triangle Collaborative

By Amber Lester Kennedy Wednesday, August 24, 2011

If money’s burning a hole in your pocket, several school-based fundraising projects are underway. Local Williamsburg businesses are teaming up to sponsor a school supply drive, and local teachers can benefit from Sonic, which is working with Donors Choose to give money to school programs. The Williamsburg Community Health Foundation has given a grant to help gather responses for a study on the aging population. Read on for more community news.

Local Businesses Sponsor School Supply Drive

Several area businesses are sponsoring a supply drive to ensure public school students have the materials needed to have a successful year.

The drive, called “Fill the Room,” started Aug. 5 and concludes Aug. 29. Cosponsors of the drive are Basecamp Productions and Helen’s Place Photography.

Suggested school supplies are listed here and here. School supplies can be dropped off between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily at Knights Inn Williamsburg, located at 620 York Street; between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays at Helen’s Place Photography, located at 1205 Lightfoot Road; and daily between 10 a.m. and midnight at Ripley’s Believe It or Not on Richmond Road.

For more information, contact Susan Branch Smith by email or call (410) 404-5559.

Sonic Offers Limeades for Learning

The fast food restaraunt chain Sonic is teaming up with Donors Choose to support projects that provide supplies to teachers everywhere.

Between Aug. 29 and Sept. 30, donors can click here, click on “find a project” and “add a filter” to search for local teachers looking for funds to support their projects. Vote for your chosen project once a day, per e-mail address. At the end of each week, Sonic will fund the top vote-getters’ projects up to $100,000 per week (not per project).

In the past, it has taken about 700 votes in order for a project to be a top vote-getter and win funding.

Pizzeria Offers Fundraising Assistance

New Town’s zpizza has created programs to assist local schools and nonprofit organizations with fundraising.

The programs range from helping to feed volunteers to offering awards for students to raising cash for charity. Since opening in March 2010, zpizza has donated more than $15,000 in cash and food to local charities. The pizzeria also hosts pre-school field trips.

To inquire about fundraising, call (757) 645-3303.

WCHF Awards Grant to Enhance Data on Senior Population

The Williamsburg Community Health Foundation awarded a $17,350 grant on Aug. 19 to the Historic Triangle Collaborative to enhance local data being collected in a study of Virginia’s senior population.

The study, the 2011 Virginia Age Ready Indicators Benchmark Survey, is sponsored by the Older Dominion Partnership. The survey will collect information statewide from more than 5,000 citizens over the age of 50 on quality-of-life issues.

As a result of the grant, the number of responses from the Historic Triangle will increase from less than 100 to nearly 600.

CDR Race Raises Nearly $25,000

Child Development Resources held a “race within a race” during the Vineyards 5K on Aug. 13.

The 10K for the 5K race raised nearly $25,000 for CDR, a public charity that provides services to young children and families and training and technical assistance for the professionals who serve them.

Individuals, family teams and corporations participated to raise money, and one family raised more than $10,000 for CDR in memory of their daughter.

Learn more about the race here.