FOCA fundraising through acts of kindess

Mar. 8—For every act of kindness students at First Odessa Christian Academy offer, they get donations through an initiative called Raise Craze.

Individually, in pairs or groups, students are raising funds for their volleyball team, charities, cleaning up baseball fields and more.

The other benefit is raising awareness about First Odessa Christian. The stopping point is March 19.

"We register online for Raise Craze and that kind of makes your own profile. Then on that profile, you can add email, you can share it through social media, or you can send it through a text message and you send it out to family and friends. Then they can donate through a link through Raise Craze, and then it all goes to the school," Booster Club President Felicia Arnett said.

"By doing that the kids are going out in the community and doing acts of kindness. You can post what you've done, you can do pictures. We've been posting it on our Facebook page. On Tuesday, the baseball team after practice picked up trash all around UTPB baseball fields. A lot of the kids are doing stuff individually, as well," Arnett said.

"Like Macayle (Turner's) family, they do a lot with breast cancer awareness and Sydney (Arnett) every year we do a Teddy bear toss in memory of my husband's sister, so we're collecting Teddy bears for that. All those Teddy bears go to hospitals, child's crisis centers, fire departments for children who are in need, they give them a Teddy bear," Arnett said.

Cade Maxwell's family is collecting blankets and Sophie Cruz will work with a charity.

Arnett said Athletic Director Richard Jordan found out about Raise Craze and loved everything about it. One of things he liked about it, she said, was that it didn't involve selling. It was the school community giving back to the community and the community giving back to the school.

Head Volleyball Coach Tannah Morris said the team is hoping for some new equipment for next season.

"The athletic director, Coach Jordan, said our volleyball team (is) going to come up with our own act of kindness, maybe going to ... senior citizen housing, visiting with them, bringing them cookies and stuff. That way we can raise money for our local team next year," Morris said.

The three girls, sixth-grader Macayle Turner, seventh-grader Sophie Cruz, and sixth-grader Sydney Arnett, play volleyball.

Seventh-grader Cade Maxwell plays baseball.

"The nice thing, too, about Raise Craze is that we can reach our family and friends, not just (locally), but from different states. We've had quite a few donations from out of town," Arnett said.

She added that raising money through acts of kindness is a little more rewarding than traditional fundraising.

"You're giving back and the kids are helping and getting involved. It kind of makes our community here at school a little bit stronger," Arnett said.

Maxwell said it feels good knowing they are doing something for others.

Arnett said their goal is $10,000.

"I think right now we're almost to $4,000 and the kids also have gotten incentives. Coach Jordan on Monday announced everyone who had raised over $150 (would get) Smoothie King gift cards. Sydney and Sophie got one and my son Grayson got one as well," she added.

Some of the students' parents helped them figure out what to raise money for.

"My family, for the Teddy bear toss, we give back to the kids that are in need. The Teddy bear just helps them know that they could always have a friend even if nobody was there for them," Sydney Arnett said.

Maxwell said the baseball team is cleaning up baseball fields.

"Knowing we've paid for the fields, it's nice to help them out letting us use those fields and just in return for them letting us use the field," Maxwell said.

Arnett added that as a parent it's nice to be involved in your child's activities and with the school to help it expand.

"Coach Jordan has lots of big dreams for the school. He's worked really hard to help achieve those and make them come true and not just dreams, more of a reality," Arnett said.

She added that they are hoping to expand Raise Craze next year.

"Especially with our high school, we just got into the TAPPS (Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools) program ... so we definitely want to help our high schoolers get out there, especially with college coming up," Arnett said.