Posted: Dec. 29, 2009 |(0) Comments

In our community, the Menomonee Falls Food Pantry is experiencing high demand as a result of the economy.

I teach two sections of Honors Entrepreneurship at Menomonee Falls High School.

To help students practice first hand four different types of promotion that they were studying (advertising, public relations, personal selling, sales promotions), and to help others less fortunate, I put together a project where students developed ways to raise money for the Menomonee Falls Food Pantry.

I made it a competition loosely based on "The Apprentice," where the two sections of Entrepreneurship competed against each other to see who could raise the most cash and food donations.

For the week before Thanksgiving, students from each class executed their fundraising events. Events included bake sales, raffles, contests and teacher challenges. Students had to use each of the four different types of promotions in executing their events.

These students rose to the occasion, raising more than $500 and more than 300 food items that were delivered to the food pantry just prior to the Thanksgiving holiday.

Not only did they get to see the direct result of their promotion skills, but they experienced the positive impact of their actions on their community.

I can't say enough about how proud I am of them of their achievement.

 

- Michelle Oliver

Menomonee Falls