Cape Elementary receives $5,000 from local Sweetbay
Cape Elementary School received a $5,000 check from Sweetbay last week, which will be used for a portable wireless computer lab.
Principal Shanna Flecha said the check was wonderful to receive and she is very excited for her school.
Sweetbay Store Manager Ray Brose visited five schools before the contest began in September to hand out colored brochures to the students, so they could bring them home to their parents.
The second place prize was increased from the previous year, he said, which increased the participation from the community.
“Cape Coral Elementary raised the second highest in the company,” he said about the $684, which put them in contention for first place.
The fund-raising initiative was a result of a two-month partnership from September through November with the Florida Dairy Council.
Kasey Waterman, account associate for Sahlman Williams Public Relations and Marketing, explained that they work with vendors who select products appropriate for school families to purchase for the program.
Brose explained that there were hundreds of “normal items that you would normally buy” that were specially marked with “we support schools” that customers could choose from. If a customer bought at least three of those items, a coupon was spit out for a $2 voucher at the register. He said the more items the customer bought the more the voucher was for.
After the customer receives the voucher, Brose said they went to the front of the store and placed the voucher in their school’s box. He explained that at the end of the contest, the amount of money in vouchers that was placed into the box was also donated to the school.
“If it was a $5 voucher, that school will definitely get that $5,” he said.
Flecha and Brose want to receive that first place check of $10,000 when the program takes off again this year.
“We are going to get first place this year,” Brose said about the grand prize of $10,000.
“Our goal is to be number one,” Flecha said.
The $5,000 donation will go towards a portable wireless computer lab that will consist of 22 laptop computers. Flecha explained that the lab will travel from classroom to classroom providing each child with his or her own laptop.
“We want to be proactive in helping our students to be proficient with taking the assessments online,” she said, adding that the computers can also be used for many other things as well.
Flecha said that Sweetbay is a fabulous business partner that they work with throughout the year.
“They help our school in many ways and we are very thankful for all of their support,” she said, especially “with the budget being tight.”
Brose said when Cape Elementary asks for assistance “we do it.”
“We really wanted to help our schools,” he said.
All of the students gathered outside for the check presentation last Wednesday. Tampa Bay Buccaneer running back Kregg Lumpkin paid a surprise visit during the presentation and talked to the students about the importance of education and eating healthy.
“The kids were super-excited,” Flecha said.
Sweetbay donated more than $100,000 to 825 participating schools through the fund-raising program.
Waterman said the top-placing schools were Lake Country Elementary School in Lake Placid, Cape Elementary School, Plant City High School in Plant City and Bayshore Elementary School in North Fort Myers.
She explained that the fund-raising program has been held since the inception of Sweetbay.