Parent Teacher Magazine Gaston County Schools Jan/Feb 2019 | Page 7

Gaston County Schools to conducted “Nickels 4 Neighbors” campaign Fundraising effort to support schools in eastern North Carolina affected by Hurricane Florence as we try to help schoolchildren in eastern North Carolina.” Gaston County Schools coordinated a district-wide effort to support schools in eastern North Carolina affected by Hurricane Florence. Gaston County Schools will distribute the money to schools in eastern North Carolina with the greatest need. The school districts will be identified once the funds are totaled. A fundraising campaign called “Nickels 4 Neighbors” was conducted on Wednesday, November 28 at all schools in the district. The central office departments also participated. Booker added, “We want to offer help to as many schools as possible. If we collect a lot of money on Wednesday, we will be able to help several school districts.” Students, employees, parents, and others were asked to make a contribution of any monetary denomination – it did not have to be just nickels. The goal was to have each school to collect $200.00 – the equivalent of 4,000 nickels. This is the third time that Gaston County Schools has conducted its “Nickels 4 Neighbors” campaign to help school districts affected by flooding. Superintendent of Schools W. Jeffrey Booker stated, “Our neighbors living in eastern North Carolina continue to need help as they try to recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Florence. Many students and their families lost everything, including the essential items they need for school. We are confident that Gaston County Schools will show the true spirit of caring and giving In 2015, more than $25,000 was collected for the schools in Clarendon and Williamsburg counties in South Carolina. The two counties were among the hardest hit by flooding that occurred in October 2015. In 2016, almost $22,000 was collected for schools in Edgecombe, Lenoir, Robeson, and Wayne counties after Hurricane Matthew devastated eastern North Carolina. Schools honored for supporting ‘Pennies’ drive Students in Gaston County Schools are learning that every cent really does count when you are raising money for a good cause. Fourteen schools have been recognized for their multi-year involvement in the ‘Pennies for Patients’ fundraising program for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In recent years, nine schools collected more than $10,000 for the program. They are: n n n n n n n n n W.B. Beam Intermediate Bessemer City Central Elementary Cramerton Middle W.C. Friday Middle Hawks Nest STEAM Academy Mount Holly Middle New Hope Elementary Sadler Elementary Woodhill Elementary Three schools have raised more than $15,000 for the program. They are: n Page Primary n Robinson Elementary n Sherwood Elementary For last school year, Page Primary had the sixth highest fundraising total in North Carolina. Additionally, East Gaston High School and Stanley Middle School were recognized for raising more than $30,000 during the schools’ multi-year participation in the fundraising program. During a recent Board of Education meeting, Robin Shaw of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society presented a plaque to Gaston County Schools for its multi-year support of the organization’s fundraising efforts. Shaw shared that over the past 15 years, 48 schools in Gaston County have collected a total of $313,921 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. As we celebrate the holidays, we salute our schools for always showing the true spirit of caring and giving! Parent Teacher Magazine• Janaury/February 2019 • 5