VOL 17 #2 A HERFF JONES BELIEVE IN YOU RESOURCE FOR ADVISERS

SERVICE AND FUN FOR ALL THIS FALL

Homecoming looms large on the calendars of many schools each fall, but it doesnt have to be the only event that gets attention. There are many opportunities to plan fundraisers, service projects, or fun events to get students involved. Consider the following ideas when planning your first semester calendar: piles, or do some advance planning and find out where senior citizens live who might need assistance with raking their yards. Leave a note saying the persons yard was raked courtesy of (your organizations name).

TEACHER DARES. During spirit

week, ask teachers to do a dare for a price. Teachers set the amount for which they would be willing to do the dare. For example, Mr. Smith will dress up in womens clothing for a day if $200 is raised, or Ms. Jones will die her hair purple if $500 is collected. Collect money toward the dares for one week. If the price is met, the teacher does the dare (or reveals it) at a spirit assembly.

HUNGER ACTION MONTH. More

than 16 million children in America are at risk of hungerthats one in five children who struggle with getting enough nutritious food. Your chapter can help do something about that by participating in Hunger Action Month in September. Check out the six activities you can do at your school many can be done in just one day and all help feed hungry kids as part of the No Kid Hungry campaign. For details and a free toolkit including a resource guide, t-shirt, poster and more, visit http://nokidhungry2.org/ schools.

WALK-IN MOVIE. Raise funds for your organization and provide a fun social event for students by hosting a walk-in movie on the football field before the weather gets too cold. Convert the football goalposts into a movie screen with sheets, charge admission, and show a popular movie. Attendees bring their own blankets or chairs. Sell refreshments to increase the fundraising potential. To avoid copyright infringement, rent the movie from a distributor such as Swank Motion Pictures, Inc. (www.swank.com) or Criterion, USA (www.criterionpicusa.com). GET ORGANIZED WEEK. Focus on streamlining your life, creating more time, and lowering stress by getting organized during Get Organized Week, October 612. Offer an after school or lunchtime session for students with tips on organizing lockers, time management, and study techniques.

PUMPKIN GLOW. Invite students

at all the schools in your area to participate in a pumpkincarving contest. On a designated day, students bring their carved pumpkins to your school where volunteers tag them with the students name and contact information. To ensure you have enough pumpkins for a good show, solicit pumpkin donations from local farm stands or grocery stores and get your organizations members to carve them. Have judges evaluate the pumpkins to select winners in different categories. Set up an area where all the pumpkins will be displayed in rows; if you have enough pumpkins create shelving so they can be stacked. Carve a small hole in the back of each pumpkin

RAKE AND RUN. Organize your

group members into teams with rakes and go through the community randomly raking the leaves in peoples yards into neat

This newsletter is a joint effort between Herff Jones and Leadership Logistics 2013

and insert one light bulb from a strand of clear tree lights. At a designated time, flip the light switch and all the pumpkins will light up at the same time. Make the event bigger by inviting a band to play, selling refreshments, and offering face painting or scarecrow stuffing booths. Charge admission or collect canned food for admission to turn the event into a fundraiser or service project.

poetry and pizza night, or sponsor a bookmark designing contest during Teen Read Week, October 1319. Visit http://teenreadweek.ning.com/ for additional ideas focusing on this years Seek the Unknown @ Your Library theme.

FOOD DRIVE SCAVENGER HUNT.

Instead of trick-or-treating, organize teams of students from clubs or classes to compete in a scavenger hunt for food items. Prepare a list of particular items and designate a three-hour time limit to obtain everything. Award a prize to the winning team and donate the collected food to a local food pantry.

a speaker from a local shelter to address the students and use the event as the kick-off to a canned food or warm clothing drive. Visit http://www.nationalhomeless.org/ projects/awareness/index.html for a manual on organizing an awareness event.

TEACHER TAKE OUT. To recognize

all the extra hours teachers put in beyond the school day, give teachers a night off from cooking dinner during American Education Week, November 1822. Work in conjunction with the PTA to provide a home-cooked take out meal for each teachers family.

HALLOWEEN SAFETY. Put together a skit on safe trick-or-treating practices to present to students in the elementary schools in your district. CHARACTER COUNTS! Every year,
the U.S. President, U.S. Senate, state governors, and officials around the world proclaim the third week in October Character Counts! Week. Celebrate the 20th anniversary of this event, October 2026, by promoting participation in one of four contests: essay, video, community outreach, or quotation/ poster. For more details and resources to plan your celebration, visit www.charactercounts.org.

SIGHT NIGHT GLASSES COLLECTION. Encourage ghosts and

goblins of all ages to trick-or-treat for gently used prescription glasses and non-prescription sunglasses. Collect the glasses and donate them to Sight Night, which recycles them and delivers them to adults and children in need in developing countries. Download a how-to guide, door hangers to publicize the event in advance, and more in the free toolkit at http://www.onesight. org/na/get_involved/onesight_events/ sight_night/.

FOOD TRUCK FESTIVAL. Capitalize on the food truck craze by inviting a variety of food trucks to take up residence in your school parking lot one evening, with a portion of sales going to your organization. Publicize the event in the community as a night off from cooking and be sure to have the trucks there when afterschool sports practice lets out. Or, invite the trucks to come before a sporting event and publicize it as a different type of tailgate party. PUMP GAS FOR TIPS. Bring back old-fashioned service by arranging to pump gas at a local gas station for tips. Pick a Saturday and advertise the hours that your group members will be pumping gas and washing car windows for tips at the designated station. This project builds good will in the community and is a no-risk fundraiser.

BOO BAGS. Sell bags of Halloween

treats to be distributed to students with a message attached. Have senders pay an extra fee to keep their identity secret. Donate the money raised to a childrens charity.

TEEN READ WEEK. Organize a

paperback book exchange, start a book discussion group, host a

ONE NIGHT WITHOUT A HOME. To raise awareness of the plight of homeless people during National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, November 1624, organize a night during which students sleep in cardboard boxes on the school parking lot. Invite

Representing Herff Jones HERFF JONES, INC. 4625 W. 62nd Street Indianapolis, IN 46268 impact@herffjones.com