Things we do! Booster Club!!

Good morning everyone! As I sit here looking out the window into I think about the many opportunities in our local community. One of these opportunities comes via our school booster clubs. I have learned through the past few years that we are so very blessed to have such an amazing supporting booster club. A few years ago when the girls were in middle school we (I can't remember who was the brain behind it, but I was there!) expanded the booster club that supported the high school to have divisions to support the middle school and elementary levels.

Directly from the Facebook page " Our mission is to enrich the lives of children and families in our communities." The Nodaway Valley Booster Club supports all NV activities, athletics, music, art, drama, speech, etc and at all grade levels, K-12. We raise money through membership drives and fundraisers. They are the least pushy fundraisers ever! The membership drive is super simple! A family can become a member for $10 - pick which school - or $10 + $10 + $10 for multiple schools. Everything is 100% volunteer driven - high school and middle school provide concessions at sporting events. Then the elementary group provides concessions at the fitness center ball games in the spring and summer.

The groups use these funds to fill in the gaps in funding for student programs. Money has been provided for support to teachers with additional supplies for classrooms as well. It isn't all about the money though. The clubs have provided meals and snacks to teachers on long days and nights of parent teacher conferences, and hosted events at the schools.

Last fall, I was able to be part of the crew helping at Elementary Grandparents' Lunches. Kindergarten through fifth grades each had their own Thursday lunch hour where students could invite a grandparent/friend, or any special person in their life to have lunch with them. So many kids and adults had great big smiles on their faces through these lunches. Some ate school lunch together, some had special food brought to share from local restaurants, and others packed lunches to eat together.

We are pretty blessed to have grandparents with flexible schedules who live close by!

Kindergarten was up first and we had a super happy girl! This was a fabulous day that she talked about for many days after! Then the next week 1st grade got their chance to have lunch visitors!

Grandma had to miss because of work, but Great Grandma was able to fill in! C invited a new student to sit with them since she didn't know (it was her 1st day!)

The booster clubs do SO much for our students and staff...I'm told that supper was provided for parent-teacher conferences so that the teachers didn't have to starve from 1-9 PM! I also heard that the elementary booster club was able to buy some instruments for the music class & Mrs. Broers. I think the middle school club got new uniforms for some of the teams, too!

The high school club has been around the longest and supports all aspects of the school! Coaches & teachers submit requests for everything from supplies to uniforms to field trip support and the booster club fills in wherever the school funding leaves gaps! They also make it so that everyone can participate in sports...we have friends who used to live in Ankeny - they paid $1,300 for their daughter to be a cheerleader for the school! No one has to pay like that to participate at Nodaway Valley, and it is all because of the booster club!

Again - BLESSED!!! BUT - the fundraising for these clubs is also FUN! Last night we went to BINGO at the elementary - Silent Auction, Bingo $5 for a dobber & 5 cards - then $2.50 for 5 more cards...family fun and affordable! A learning experience for our little people...when we play Mexican BINGO (LOTTERIA) we play until everyone wins...when there are tons of people playing it's a LOT harder to win! We had some sad little people when it was done, but we won an awesome summer fun/beach fun basket in the silent auction! It has the most amazing BAG!!! Because everyone knows I'm a bag hoarder!

Edit: Addition: The elementary booster club sells school supply boxes at the end of the school year for the next year! The best thing ever!!

Anyhow - friends this is one of those things where I'm just sharing info about our awesome community! The little people have awaken and I can see the bottom of my coffee cup - going to have to become a functioning adult now...wish me luck!