Champions for Kids
Last December, Champions for Kids, a nonprofit organization, teamed up with Coca-Cola to promote a service project contest to encourage communities to help kids in need. Seven organizations in the Northwest Arkansas area won $1,000 each for their efforts to help kids in their community.
• Apple Seeds Inc. in Fayetteville is a nonprofit organization that inspires healthy living through garden-based education in area schools. Volunteers harvested 150 pounds of fresh produce from the Apple Seeds Teaching Farm and distributed this produce to three schools to host their own student-run markets.
• Peace at Home Family Shelter in Fayetteville won due to the efforts of the Washington County 4-H Club. Club members donated personal care items, toys and clothing to the kids who were spending their holiday season at the shelter.
• Root Elementary School in Fayetteville won for the volunteer hours several teachers and parents spent building a school garden, which provided pounds of fresh vegetables to kids in the district.
• The Northwest Arkansas NAACP Branch 60AC in Bentonville stuffed 100 holiday stockings with essential personal care items, as well as snack foods, gloves and socks for kids who take part in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Arkansas program.
• Prism Education Center in Fayetteville won for their service project, which involved a group of parents volunteering their time to manage the outside recess periods to give the teachers more time for preparation to meet the individual needs of the students.
• The NWA Chapter of Youth M.O.V.E. in Springdale stuffed stockings with essential items that kids need and gave them to Youth Bridge Inc. in Centerton and Lee Elementary School in Springdale.
• R.E. Baker Elementary School in Bentonville also won for their "Baker Gives Back" program in which the school pulls resources from parents within the school district.
Champions for Kids' promotes simple projects that people everywhere can do to help children in their communities. Throughout the year, Champions for Kids' host programs in which participants can share their service project experiences at www.cfkhelpkidsthrive.org for a chance to win monetary awards or product donations for their school, nonprofit or youth-based organization.
Send information about charitable giving to ourtown@nwaonline.com. The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reserves the right to include information only if photos are of poor quality. Giving Back appears in the Thursday Our Town section and the Sunday Profiles section.
NAN Profiles on 03/01/2015