Walled Lake Schools Charitable Giving Sets a Record

Walled Lake Consolidated School District students and staff set a giving record this year, raising more than $200,000 worth of canned food, books, toys, gift cards, gifts and other items donated to Hospitality House and a variety of other organizations.

“The needs in our community are greater than ever," said superintendent Kenneth Gutman. "Fortunately, the generosity shown from our students, staff and school community exceeds our expectations. I am continually impressed by the thoughtfulness, kindness and giving spirit in Walled Lake Schools. Our school community is to be applauded for its contributions to others."

Here's a list of some of the projects: 

Commerce Elementary School

• Students collected coloring books and supplies for cancer patients at the Children’s Hospital in Detroit for “Colors for Cancer Kids,” Sydney Balzer’s charity
• Student Council organized a warm hats drive for the homeless
• First-grade students collected breakfast food items to donate to the Hospitality House
• Students raised more than $2,000 completing chores around their homes and neighborhoods to raise money to support Delete Blood Cancer which helps cancer warriors like Sydney Balzer find life-saving bone marrow donor matches. 

Dublin Elementary School

• Student council members collected new, flame resistant pajamas for the Open Door Outreach Center in Waterford. 
• Students participated in the Shop with a Cop program through the White Lake Police Department.   
• Students are making rubberband bracelets to be sold for various charities. 
• Third, fourth and fifth grade Girls on the Run Club members had a bake sale to benefit the Lymphoma Society and Sydney Balzer at Commerce Elementary School.

Glengary Elementary School

• The student council held a food drive and the ‘Dads and Donuts’ group collected boxes of cereal to donate 641 pounds of food to Hospitality House.  
• Funds were also raised by grade level students donating a dollar to participate in activities such as pajama day and crazy hat day in order to adopt families and purchase gifts for them for the holidays.

Hickory Woods Elementary School

• Students participated in "Hats for Helping Others"
• Fifth graders sold homemade bird feeders with the proceeds going to the Detroit Rescue Mission
• The "Hickory Woods Holiday Care" is supported by a building pajama day and ongoing contributions from the Hickory Woods’ community.

Keith Elementary School

• Staff members participated in a Volleyball fundraiser with the staff from Pleasant Lake and raised more than $1,680 to benefit Keith teacher Elizabeth Gray’s daughter, Vivian, as she battles cancer. 
• Keith staff members sponsored five families in need by buying gifts for all the children in the family, purchasing winter clothes (coats, hats, boots, gloves, scarves),  gift cards, and furnishing a holiday meal of turkey, ham, and side dishes. 
• The Keith Caring Community Club (KC3) held a new and gently used book drive to support the Front Door Organization of Detroit, providing books to students in need in kindergarten through 5th grade.

Loon Lake Elementary School

• Non-perishable food items were collected for Hospitality House. 
• The school hosted a pajama day on Dec. 20 where students can pay $1 to wear pjs during the school day. The money earned will buy gift cards that will be sent to a school in Illinois that was affected by the tornado last month. 
• Kindergarten is collecting money for Project Night Night
• 4th grade students are making loom bracelets to be donated to a local children’s hospital through an organization called Looms for Love

MH Guest Elementary School

• Staff members generously donated gently used clothing and household items for a clothing sale where over 40 families took home 131 bags of clothing. The money raised from the clothing sale was then used to adopt families in need in December.
• The school also provided Thanksgiving dinners to families, as well as boots, shoes, snow pants and gloves to any students without. 
• Through "Pennies for Patients," the school raised $1,900 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma organizations.
• The MH Guest Daisy Girl Scouts made and decorated holiday cards for the US Troops that are stationed around the world through the “Holiday Mail for Heroes” program.

Meadowbrook Elementary School

• Students and staff members raised money in a variety of ways throughout the year including "Hats for Holidays" and "Casual for a Cause", which raised money to purchase coats, hats, gloves, boots and food items for families in need. 
• The school participated in the "Blessings in a Backpack" program and distributed donated non-perishable food items every Friday to ensure that “at risk” students are fed on the weekends.

Oakley Park Elementary School

• Staff members donated 25 children’s games/crafts to Hospitality House, adopted an Oakley Park family and contributed $250 to an Oakley Park family’s medical bills. 
• The school community is also participating in a food drive for the Hospitality House, with a goal of 2,500 pounds of food.

Pleasant Lake Elementary School

• Staff members participated in a Volleyball fundraiser with the staff from Keith Elementary, raising more than $2,700 for the family of Carina Browning, a student at Pleasant Lake that is currently battling cancer. 
• The Student Lighthouse Team organized their annual Gleaners Food Drive this month.  Students, staff, and parents hope to beat last year's contribution of more than 1,600 pounds of food.

Walled Lake Elementary School

• The school collected 500 pounds of food for Hospitality House and collected 900 books for an elementary school in Pontiac. 
• Students, staff and parents donated items to families in the community through a "Mitten Tree" drive.

Wixom Elementary School

• Student council members organized a Toy and Gift Drive for Hospitality House. More than 200 toys and gifts were collected to be shared with families in need throughout the community as part of Hospitality House’s Santa Shoppe.

Prime Time Care

• The Prime Time Care program at all 12 elementary schools and the four Teen Clubs at the middle schools all participated in a project to make fleece blankets for the homeless cats and dogs for the Michigan Humane Society.

Clifford Smart Middle School

• Student council members purchased complete Thanksgiving dinners for 24 area families, spending just over $1,000 raised through a combination of student and staff donations and student council funds. An anonymous donor generously donated bulk food items that were included with each family’s Thanksgiving dinner as well.

Banks Middle School

• Staff donated crafting materials to support the 8th grade teachers organizing an after-school holiday gift making experience for students. 
• In lieu of buying holiday gifts for each other, staff members of Sarah Banks donated $910 in an effort to support the Banks Families in Need Fund. This year’s money collection is being used to support the holiday wishes of five local families. 
• The National Junior Honor Society Chapter and Student Council representatives organized a toy and clothing donation drive, to benefit the DMC Children’s Hospital. 
• Students collected 1,000 new hats, mittens, scarves, and gloves for the Walled Lake Hospitality House with the help and support of the Banks Encore Department.

Geisler Middle School

• The student leadership and random acts of kindness groups raised more than $1,427 through a spaghetti dinner and bake sale, to benefit the children at the University of Michigan Motts Children’s Hospital. Students purchased enough fleece to make 50 large, twin-size blankets for children at the hospital.  
• Student leadership and staff members continued the holiday giving by contributing over 3,080 non-perishable food items and $1,044. With the generosity of the building, as well as Amerisure, these items and funds were used to provide gift boxes and helped over 40 area families.

Walnut Creek Middle School

• Student Council members raised more than $1,520 through various activities and events. Of that money, $750 was used to purchase $50 Meijer gift cards for Thanksgiving dinners for 15 families in need, and more than $770 was donated to Hospitality House.

Walled Lake Central High School 

• The school hosted a canned food drive in November that raised more than $25,000 for Hospitality House. 
• In December, the school held a holiday gift drive and raised nearly $10,000 to adopt Bennett Elementary in Detroit. On Dec. 20, all 247 Bennett students received a wrapped toy and a wrapped article of clothing when they arrived at school.

Walled Lake Northern High School

• During November, students held a canned food drive. Leadership students delivered over 3,100 pounds of food and presented a check for over $4,400 to Hospitality House. 
• Student leadership also adopted a family during Thanksgiving and provided them with a complete Thanksgiving meal in a box. 
• In December, 4th hour classes participated in a coupon book fundraiser, through which students who raised money received coupons to experience a variety of different perks such as parking in a teacher’s parking space to free admission into sporting events. All proceeds from the fundraiser will be donated to Ronald McDonald House. 
• Student Council also donated $400 to Interact Club to help them provide holiday gifts for a family they adopted.

Walled Lake Western High School

• The annual Walled Lake Western Can Food Drive and the crew from Shrek, raised and donated more than $13,150 and 1,600 pounds of food to Hospitality House.

Educational Services Center

• Staff members donated money and food to Hospitality House and purchased gifts for families in the District.

Lakes Area Youth Assistance

• Helped 31 local families with the LAYA Holiday Adopt A Family program, which is made possible through the generous donations of time, effort and resources from Huron Valley Sinai Hospital, as well as a number of other local community and business groups, and private citizens. 
• The Target Shop with a Cop and Meijer Shop with a Hero programs, in collaboration with Lakes Area and Novi’s Youth Assistance programs, provided 32 of our local children with a fun shopping experience for needed items, while getting to know many of our police officers, deputies, firefighters and EMS personnel.