The Blog

Congratulations to our Growing Healthy Schools Fall Semester Winners!

Over 20 schools all over Texas raised a total of $8,700 for healthy school projects this semester and received donations from local businesses, parents, school staff, and community members. The winning schools raised the necessary funds for new recess equipment, classroom fitness stations, outdoor staff fitness equipment, and an outdoor basketball/volleyball court!

We will let the five winners, who will all receive an H-E-B Bonus Health Kit, speak for themselves about their experience with the crowd-funding platform!

$10,000 H-E-B Health Kit Winner, Rapoport Elementary North Campus:

“I am proud to say our school is the $10,000 winner of this year’s Growing Healthy Schools bonus kit. This program is well designed and user friendly. All of our donors complimented on how easy it was to donate. This fundraiser helped us raise enough money to buy equipment for our recess so that our students can get active and get healthy. Thank you, Rapoport Recess Rocks!” –Mrs. Barbara Galetka, Pre-K Teacher 

$5,000 H-E-B Health Kit Winners:

Ricardo Middle School:

“Growing Healthy Schools has given our school an opportunity to make a change. The response we received from our staff, parents, and community was outstanding. Words can’t explain how thankful and proud I am for the awesome turnout we had and the privilege of being chosen as a winner of a HEB Health Kit. Thank you!!!!”-Nick Alfaro, Physical Education Teacher

Colonial Hills Elementary:

“Colonial Hills Elementary has received the Growing Healthy Schools grant twice! Our project this year was to purchase recess equipment for our students. We have a playground, but it gets overcrowded. We need other options for the students. We need basketballs, jump ropes, playground balls, footballs, and frisbees to play on the blacktop and field. We do not want the students sitting around and talking during recess. They should be active!

I would recommend this program to any school that is in need of money to help make their school a healthy one. Colonial Hills reached out to the community via letters, word of mouth and Facebook to raise the money for our recess equipment and containers.  We reached $1,605.00 which far exceeded the $450.00 we were asking for! This program is an easy program to do again and again, I highly recommend it.”-Coach Terri Pitts

Lyford High School:

“The fundraising project is user-friendly; donations could be made easily and quickly. Being a Bonus Health Kit winner allows Lyford CISD to purchase some equipment for high school, middle school and elementary campuses, and continue promoting health and wellness for students, staff and the whole community!” –Bibiana Bernal, RN

Turner Elementary:

“Since we were one of the H-E-B Bonus kit winners last year, parents have been incredibly encouraging and supportive of my Growing Healthy Schools fundraising request this year.  The feedback I have received is that parents like being able to see all the healthy school activities, as well as being able to share the site with friends through the media tools.  After the deadline passed, my parents were the ones on pins and needles waiting to hear if we were one of the H-E-B Bonus Kit winners again this year! Of course they were delighted, as was I.” –Mrs. Jacqueline Caver 

Thank you to all schools who participated this semester and united their communities to grow healthier learning environments for students, families and staff. Spread the word about this program, and start brainstorming project ideas for next semester!