Federal Way school wins $500 in national fundraising campaign

Published 3:56 pm Monday, January 18, 2016

Last month, U.S. Apple Association (USApple) and supporting brands donated $20,000 to 12 school programs as part of the first-ever Apples for Education: Buy an Apple, Help a Student classroom fundraising campaign. The social media-fueled cause program featured 20,000 photo uploads of fans snacking on apples and partner products to vote for and support school nominees.

Launched in September near the beginning of the school year and peak apple season, “Buy an Apple, Help a Student” featured U.S. apple growers and program partners (or “Apple Buddies”) Marzetti, Roth Cheese, Johnsonville Sausage and KIND Snacks pledging financial support to 12 student causes each time people uploaded apple or partner brand snacking images to Instagram or Apples4Ed.com.

Sherwood Forest Elementary, a local Federal Way school, snacked and snapped its way into fourth place in the campaign and will receive $500 to use toward implementing a healthy snack program and providing daily apples for students and their families.

Each of the 12 featured student causes recieved funds, with the projects that earned the most votes receiving the highest shares of the funding. The top five recipients are:

1. Langston Chapel Elementary School, Statesboro, GA =N:E=||n_240v1 Playground Makeover: Creating a fun and safe space for kids to play with a total playground makeover.

2. Trinity Lutheran School, Conklin, MI =N:E=||n_264v1 Rural Robotics: Enhancing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs through a hands-on approach to exploring robotics.

3. Langston Chapel Elementary School, Statesboro, GA =N:E=||n_289v1 iDon’t Have iPads: Enhancing small group reading with iPad applications, e-books and other activities.

4. Sherwood Forest Elementary School, Federal Way, WA =N:E=||n_312v1 Apple a Day: Providing access to healthy snacks for students and their families – with apples.

5. Marie L. Greenwood Academy, Denver, CO =N:E=||n_336v1 Backyard Gardens: Greater access to fresh produce through a network of backyard gardens and a school farmer’s market.

“It’s incredible that, with our ‘Apple Buddies’ Marzetti, KIND Snacks, Johnsonville Sausage and Roth Cheese, we have been able to raise $20,000 in our inaugural year for participating schools,” said Wendy Brannen, Director, Consumer Health and Public Relations, USApple. “To know we can brighten these kids’ days with a piece of playground equipment, enhance their chances of a sustainable education through iPads or robotics programs, and feed their bellies something nutritious from a new family garden is really moving.”

“It’s also a great feeling to know that we are helping instill healthy eating habits for the future,” Brannen added.

Nominated classroom projects included school gardens, playground makeovers and robotics education initiatives in small towns and large cities from Washington to Georgia. Communities and schools surrounding selected causes rallied area teachers, students, parents and residents to snap and share photos of their snacks, with some even hosting apple-themed birthday parties, photos booths and festivals to collect images.

Over eight weeks, members of these communities along with supportive indivduals nationwide uploaded 20,000 images as votes for their favorite cause. Voting closed Nov. 15 and winning causes were notified this month.

With this year’s success, USApple plans to continue this perennial campaign to further unite the apple industry with the education community to spread the word about apples’ benefits and encourage healthy eating at all ages.