Across the country, hundreds of thousands of young people are starting a revolution by helping the March of Dimes save babies from premature birth and other life-threatening health problems. Children are our future; so what better way to ensure a bright future for all of us than supporting the March of Dimes?
What can you do to keep the Revolution going? Here are some ideas…(Remember to always get permission from your school first!)
Sell plastic hospital bracelets for only $1 each. March of dimes provides plastic hospital bracelet supplies.
Hold a carnation sale and delivery at your school. Set up a table in the cafeteria and sell carnations with messages for $2 each and donate the proceeds to March of Dimes. Tie the messages to the carnations and deliver them during homeroom.
Sell paper ornaments for only $1 each. March of Dimes can provide paper ornament supplies in sneaker, bootie, and awareness ribbon designs.
Hold a Penny War at your school. Collect change and create a competition between grades, classes, departments, even students and faculty! All you need are a few jars and a table in a central place such as the school cafeteria.
Host a Folic Acid Breakfast. All you need is some orange juice, fortified cereals, breads, and/or bagels, fruits such as cantaloupe and strawberries, and some educational materials from the March of Dimes. If you charge $2 per person, you’ll have a fundraising educational breakfast!
Sell healthy snacks at your school. Set up a table in the cafeteria and sell trail mix, granola bars, and/or other healthy snacks for $1-$2 and donate the proceeds to March of Dimes. Provide free March of Dimes health information.
Organize a students vs. faculty basketball game at your school. You can sell tickets to the game for $5 each and donate the proceeds to March of Dimes. It doesn’t have to be a basketball game – you can have a softball game, a volleyball game, even a flag football game. It’s a fun way to bring students and faculty together for a good cause.
Sell “airgrams” and read them during the morning announcements. For $5 each, students and faculty can have messages read over the school PA system during morning announcements. This is a fun way to give friends shout-outs, thank clubs for their hard work, congratulate teams for recent wins and just say hi!
Sell Bean Bags for Babies. Plushland and Calplush offer adorable bean bag plush that you can sell for $5 each, donating the proceeds to March of Dimes. Contact your local March of Dimes office to request free Plushland and Calplush catalogs.
Have a match the faculty member to the baby picture contest. Have faculty members bring in baby pictures, enlarge them and hang them in a central location at school. Charge $2 per ballot and see if students and faculty can figure out who’s who!
Plan a Battle of the Bands or a school dance during the month of November, Prematurity Awareness Month, requiring all attendees to wear pink and blue and donate the cover charge to the March of Dimes New Jersey Chapter.
Hold a Health Fair in your school and distribute health education materials. (Brochures and handouts provided free of charge by the March of Dimes.)
Invite a March of Dimes New Jersey Chapter representative to speak during classes at your school.
Organize a carwash and sell ribbon magnets, then donate proceeds to March of Dimes New Jersey Chapter. (Magnets can be purchased at causekeepers.com.)
Create your own event and donate the proceeds to March of Dimes!
For more information, contact Shannon Rodia Hurley at the March of Dimes: 609-655-7400 or shurley@marchofdimes.com
