‘Hugs and Kisses’ raises cash for Banfield School

Published 9:42 am Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Banfield Elementary students gave enough hugs and kisses on Valentine’s Day to purchase two new cameras, a video camera tripod and many books for the school.

Their “hugs” and “kisses” were actually made of paper, and have now become an interactive annual fundraiser for the students.

The approximately 500 kids at Banfield raised $428 — at a dime a Valentine.

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“We charge 10 cents for a little Valentine, and we put a little kiss on it,” said Gail Subra, assistant at the Instructional Material Center.

“We do make sure each kid gets one,” she added. Hy-Vee donated the chocolate candy for the event.

The Hugs and Kisses fundraiser netted Banfield two digital cameras, cases and batteries, which will be accessible for students and staff; a tripod for a video camera they bought last year; and nearly $200 in books for their library.

Banfield got the fundraising idea from Southgate Elementary.

“We first started doing this a couple years ago,” Subra explained, “and we raised about $200.”

“It’s well worth it,” she said. “It’s an affordable thing to do.”