Vossberg Gainor assisted the Franklin PTA with media outreach to celebrate the accomplishments of the students as they raised more than $36,000 in fundraising through their events with the Kindness Walk, while giving back to others. The students and principal Dr. DeLaMar were featured on ABC 7 Chicago and in the Chicago Tribune.
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Franklin students reach kindness goal and principal fulfills her promise
PARK RIDGE, IL, November 1, 2019 – When challenged with a goal in their “Secret Agents of Kindness” fundraiser, Franklin Elementary students went hog wild. And because they met their goal, Principal Marybeth Whitney-DeLaMar followed through on her promise to kiss a pig on Friday afternoon.
“I’m sure the kids liked it much better than I did. But it was totally worth it. The program was a great success and the students learned some lessons in kindness.” said DeLaMar, after kissing Pip the pig.
The event was the culmination of the annual Franklin PTA fundraiser. Designed to teach students the importance of kindness and gratitude while raising funds that benefit their school, it kicked off with an assembly on September 23 and included a Dance-A-Thon on October 11.
“Having the opportunity to see our children get excited about giving back and helping others is so heartwarming to see as a parent.” said Laura Gainor, Franklin PTA President. “We’re grateful our volunteers have organized this type of fundraiser.”
During the program, students collected pledges and completed 1,544 acts of kindness, contributed 555 sack lunches for Uncle Pete’s and donated 1,440 books to Bernie’s Book Bank. In total, they raised $36,006 for the PTA.
So, what’s it like to kiss a pig?
“It wasn’t as bad as I thought. I’d do it again for this kind of response,” the Principal said. “We’re very grateful Animal Quest brought Pip the pig to our school today so the kids could enjoy this experience.”