A fundraiser run by the Hopewell Valley Education Foundation (HVEF) and the Pennington Quality Market (PQM) netted $11,482 for the foundation last Saturday, Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Educati
By John Tredrea, Special Writer
A fundraiser run by the Hopewell Valley Education Foundation (HVEF) and the Pennington Quality Market (PQM) netted $11,482 for the foundation last Saturday, Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education President Lisa Wolff reported at Monday night’s school board meeting.
Established more than 20 years ago, the foundation is a nonprofit organization that works to benefit the Valley’s public schools.
The market donated 5 percent of its Saturday receipts to the foundation. The event included an i-Pad giveaway, celebrity baggers, including Ms. Wolff, entertainment and demonstrations of school activities by students.
”Thanks to the foundation and the Pennington Market,” Ms. Wolff said.
”It was a great day with wonderful support from Hopewell Valley Regional School District administrators and teachers, who served as celebrity baggers,” said PQM owner Mike Rothwell.
REPORTING on another fundraiser in the district, Ms. Wolff said this year’s textile drive netted nearly 14,000 pounds of clothing, hats, shoes, belts, handbags, draperies, stuffed toys and other items for the needy. The district is one of the many in the state that partners with Wearable Collections Recycling on textile drives.
In addition to getting many textile-based items to those in need and helping the environment by keeping those items out of landfills, Hopewell Valley’s participation in the program financially benefited all six PTOs in the school district.
Hopewell Valley’s textile drive program has become more successful each year.
”We had 5,000 pounds the first year, 8,000 pounds the second year, 12,000 pounds the third year and almost 14,000 pounds this year,” Ms. Wolff said. She said the district is considering making the textile drive a year-round event.
Hopewell Valley’s 2011 textile drive brought the district a congratulatory letter from New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. In the Jan. 12, 2012, letter, the governor said: “As governor of New Jersey, I am pleased to recognize the Hopewell Valley Regional School District for organizing its Election Day textile drive. You should be proud of the collaboration between the different communities in your district, which not only supported the schools’ Parent Teacher Organizations, but also yielded over eight thousand pounds of clothing that will help those in need in your community. I applaud all those who participated in this year’s clothing drive.”
Also at Monday night’s school board meeting, student representative Haley Morin, a senior at Central High School, reported that an October blood drive at the school, run with the Red Cross, yielded 37 units of blood, enough for 111 patients.