Annual Fundraising Events
TERRY FOX SCHOOL RUN:
The annual cross-Canada School Day Terry Fox Run for Cancer Research takes place at the end of September (this year it took place on Friday September 25, 2009). Terry Fox believed that if anyone contributed one dollar to the Run, they were part of the Marathon of Hope. Students from grades 1 through 8 run or walk for 20 minutes and donate $1 to the Terry Fox Foundation which is collected by the teachers and staff.
WALKATHON:
The annual Walkathon is held in October to coincide with the International Walk to School Week.
The walk takes place at a nearby park and includes all students from JK to grade 8. All students are provided with nut-free snacks.
The students are active in the event by collecting pledges and, more importantly, participating on the day of the walk. The Walkathon also builds community spirit
because the event includes the participation of all students, teachers, staff and many parent volunteers.
Students are encouraged to collected pledges from family, friends and neighbours; prizes are awarded based on monies collected.
MAGAZINE DRIVE:
The annual Magazine Drive is held in November (this year, the drive will start on Friday November 2, 2009); each magazine subscription fulfilled through this program provides funds to support the students at Blessed Sacrament.
If you need to renew magazine subscriptions before or after the Magazine drive, you can still support our school by renewing them online at www.qsp.ca using group #8568 or by calling 1-800-667-2536.
INDIGO NIGHT FUNDRAISER:
The annual Indigo Night Fundraiser is held at the end of November at the Indigo Bookstore in the Yorkdale Shopping Centre; this year it will take place on Wednesday November 25, 2009. Families are asked to purchase books and other items on this day and mention that you support Blessed Sacrament School at checkout; a percentage of the purchases will be donated to the Blessed Sacrament library toward the purchase of new books. The Starbucks located in the Indigo store generously offers complimentary coffee and hot cholcoate for the evening.
FUN FAIR:
The annual Fun Fair is held during Mother's Day weekend and includes a BBQ (donated by The Friendly Butcher), book room, candy table, cookie decorating, face painting, tattoos, hairspray, a fish pond, flower bouquets, numerous games, a haunted house, herb baskets, loot bags, mini cars, obstacle course, pony rides, slides, snow cones, tea room, a Market place and - new in 2008 - a Guitar Hero competition.
This is a community event and heavily supported by parents, students, teachers and many community businesses.
SILENT AUCTION:
The Silent Auction Dinner Dance is held every two years in the Spring. Local community businesses and Blessed Sacrament families generously donate all the auction items. Each Silent Auction has been held at different venues and has included formal dinner/dance events, casino nights, and casual dinner events.
The 2010 Silent Auction is scheduled for Friday April 23, 2010.
SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR:
The Scholastic Book Fair is usually held every year in the early spring; this year it will take place in the school library from Friday February 26th to Thursday March 4th. Students will be able to purchase Scholastic books during this time; parents are invited on March 4th after 3pm to purchase books during the Parent-Teacher interviews. All proceeds will go to expanding the fiction section of the school library.
Fundraising Events to give back to the community
The Blessed Sacrament students and parents are involved in many events and activities that promote charity, a sense of community, and appreciation.
CHRISTMAS BAKE SALE AND CHRISTMAS WISH FOOD AND GIFT DRIVE:
The annual Christmas Bake Sale is held at the end of November. Parents donate nut-free baked goods or treats and students purchase them during the afternoon. The proceeds from this Bake Sale are used to purchase food vouchers that are distributed at St. Paul's Church. This Bake Sale also kicks off the Blessed Sacrament Christmas Wish Food and Gift Drive which runs for about 2 weeks. New, unwrapped toys and gifts for children, teens and adult as well as food items are donated by Blessed Sacrament families; parent volunteers sort and deliver these items to the St. Paul's Parent Child Center where they are distributed in time for the Christmas holidays.
PASS IT ON:
The Pass It On programs is held three times a year (in October, January and April). Blessed Sacrament families donate gently used clean clothing which are passed on to those in need. Parent volunteers sort and deliver the clothing to St. Paul's Parent Child Center.
HALLOWEEN CANDY DRIVE:
The annual Halloween Candy Drive is held for 1 week at the beginning of November (following Halloween). Hard candy, chips and chocolate are donated by the Blessed Sacrament students from their Halloween collection and are donated to the Canadian Food for Children. Parent volunteers sort and deliver the treats to the charity's warehouse in Mississuaga where it is shipped and distributed to children in developing nations.
LENTEN GIFTS CHARITY CAMPAIGN:
The annual Lenten Gifts Charity Campaign is held in February. Blessed Sacrament students are asked to bring 1 item per week for 4 weeks during Lent (during the 2008/09 campaign, these items included soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, bag of split peas or pasta and a box of salt). Parent volunteers deliver these boxes to the Canadian Food for Children which ships these items to needy children in developing nations such as Tanzania, Ghana, Zambia, Malawi, the Philippines, Honduras, Peru, El Salvador and Guatemala.
SNOWBALL DANCE-A-Thon:
The annual Snowball Dance-a-thon is held on Valentine's Day in support of St. Gaspar’s Primary School in Dodoma, Tanzania (East Africa). St. Gaspar’s was founded by Brother Anthony Canterrucci and was built to North American standards; the school delivers a curriculum based upon that of the Province of Ontario and presently serves over 100 students. Blessed Sacrament students collect pledges from family and friends, dance to music at designated times and purchase snowcones.
