Okaloosa Raises Over $30,000 in 'Change for Children' Campaign
Friday, April 24, 2009
 Florosa was the elementary school which raised the most money for the charity with over $2400 donated. From L-R: Principal Carolyn Lulue, Amy Lee Pritchard and music teacher Pat Anderson. |
 Lewis Middle School won the middle school category with a total of $2500 raised for the charity. |
 Niceville High School raised the most overall, with $6757 earned. |
 Laurel Hill won the K-12 school category with $866. |
 The top earners from all the schools gather for a group shot. |
 For the first time, the Leadership classes of the high schools coordinated their efforts, raising over $14,000 for the cause. |
 Volunteers from ADK sorority and staff members of the Children in Crisis Center hosted the pizza party to thank the schools for their support. |
 Niceville HS teachers vied for the slot of "Homecoming Teacher King and Queen," but despite their best fundraising efforts, no one was able to top Kathy Turner and Steve Horton, shown here on Twin Day in their "Matrix" outfits. |
They elected "Teacher Homecoming King and Queen" at Niceville HS, pied their principal at Bruner MS, held a gigantic garage sale at Fort Walton Beach HS and organized so many creative fundraisers that Okaloosa students donated over $30,000 to The Children's Neighborhood Wednesday afternoon. Representatives from the participating schools met at the Niceville Community Center for a pizza celebration hosted by the Children's Neighborhood and the local chapters of Alpha Delta Kappa, a sorority for educators.
"I think the world of what you've done," Superintentendent Alexis Tibbetts told the students, praising them for their altruism and encouraging them to make a lifetime commitment to charitable work.
The money raised by the schools will be used to support the children who stay in the group foster home, "Blessings House" and those in the emergency shelter nearby. It will be used to purchase food, clothing and school supplies.
One of the key goals of The Children's Neighborhood is to ensure that children live in a safe, stable environment and are not moved from foster home to foster home. Special emphasis is placed on keeping siblings together, which is not always possible in a "regular" foster home because almost half of them are already overcrowded.
The emergency shelter is for children who are removed from an unsafe environment on short notice, sometimes in the middle of the night. It allows them to have shelter for up to 90 days, while placement in an appropriate foster home is arranged. It has beds for 16 children, while the group foster home can house up to eight children and their live-in foster parents.
Dr. Tibbetts thanked the schools and ADK sorority members for their generosity and their time, pointing out that for the first time, Leadership teams from all of the high schools joined forces on a project and collected over $14,000 for the charity.
Ken Hair, Executive Director of Children in Crisis, which operates The Children's Neighborhood, thanked Dr. Tibbetts and all the schools, pointing out that their aid was more critical than ever. "With the economy being down, we really need their help. The state's per diem rate is only about one-third of the actual cost," he explained.
The retired members of the ADK sorority acted as liaisons between the school and the charity, bringing the jars back and forth and assisting in the fundraising efforts.
"I can't give these women enough praise; without them, it wouldn't work," said Sharilyn Darnell, past president of the charity. "It's so wonderful to see children helping children and children leading the way."
"This is the perfect charity," said Florosa Principal Carolyn Lulue. "These are our kids and we have a responsibility to help them."
The schools which raised the most money were recognized for their efforts during the celebration:
High school: Niceville HS - $6757
Middle school: Lewis MS - $2500
Elementary school: Florosa ES - $2400
K-12: Laurel Hill School - $866.
To view and download the photos taken Wednesday, click here.
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