RDMS Ambassadors are frequently involved in the planning and organization of school-wide fundraisers. Ambassadors get together and decide on which charity will be the recipients of our students' efforts, and then vote on how money will be raised or how the items will be collected. The fun then begins!
Some examples of past charity donations include:
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$850 donated to the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer
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20 boxes donated to the Jared Box Project, which sends age-appropriate boxes filled with toys, games and activities to sick children at Hackensack University Medical Center
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$873.13 donated to the Broward County Humane Society Therapy Dogs (Parkland, FL)
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$501.39 donated to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
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$12,395.07 donated to Make-A-Wish Foundation ($5,500 in March 2008, $5,500 in March 2010, $1,041.06 in June 2013, and $354.01 in June 2014)
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$200 donated to American Red Cross for the Typhoon in the Philippines (with the help of the RDMS Library Club)
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$200 donated to American Red Cross for the Tornadoes in the Midwest states (with the help of the RDMS Library Club)
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$5,000 donated to American Cancer Society - Relay for Life
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$3,476.34 donated to the Red Cross for Indian Ocean Tsunami Relief
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$2,700 donated to the Cancer Support Community
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$1,000 donated to the American Red Cross for Haiti relief
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$450 donated to Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
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$416 donated to Special Olympics
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$351 donated to the Journey's Program for art supplies (Journeys is a local art therapy grief group for children and adolescents affected by the serious illness or the death of a loved one)
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$250 donated to American Red Cross for Japan Earthquake relief
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123 backpacks filled with school supplies donated to Hurricane Katrina victims
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Many toys and gifts donated to holiday Toys for Tots program for children in need
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20,526 pop-tabs from aluminum cans donated to the Ronald McDonald House (Pop-tabs translated into money that Ronald McDonald House used to help their children and families)
Some highlights of past fundraiser activities include:
Spring 2019 Fundraiser: In order to support families and friends who have been diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer, Ambassadors coordinated a multi-faceted fundraiser with staff and students, raising a grand total of $850! Over the span of one week, the RDMS community participated in Physical Education Run/Walk ($5/lap was donated for the student who completed the most laps), Wear Purple Day, Pledge $1 for a Purple Heart during lunch periods, and the purple-themed bake sale. Congratulations to the 8th grader who ran 23 laps around the fields, and to all students and staff who made this amazing fundraiser a reality.
Pancreatic Cancer Fundraiser
Spring 2018 Fundraiser: After the Parkland tragedy occurred, the Ambassadors wanted to help this community in mourning. Since many of our students are passionate about animals, so we decided on a fundraiser for The Humane Society of Broward County, who placed therapy dogs in the Parkland schools following the return of the students and staff after the shooting. The staff, students, and community in River Dell came together for an amazing fundraiser, and graciously donated $873.13, while also learning invaluable lessons about how therapy dogs bring tremendous comfort during a difficult time. Dr. O'Neil brought her therapy dog Hunny to RDMS to meet the winning homerooms, which was the reward for all their hard work and fundraising.
Parkland Fundraiser
Spring 2015 Fundraiser: We raised $501.39 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Ambassadors competed against themselves in Fundraiser they called, "Battle of the Bakesales." A variety of baked goods were made and sold by our Ambassadors for the school to enjoy!
Spring 2014 Fundraiser: We raised $354.01 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Ambassadors organized a school-wide event called the Staff Showdown, which was a competition among staff members consisting of 6 events where teachers competed against each other or students (Karaoke on the Wii, Just Dance on the Wii, Mario Kart on the Wii, Sprint Run, Musical Chairs, and Head Shaving. Students voted for which teacher they want to participate in the events by placing pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and dollars in containers during a voting period, and the teacher with the most money participated in the events. Click below to view pictures from the exhilarating event!
Staff Showdown Sprint Run
Staff Showdown Head Shaving
Staff Showdown Just Dance
Spring 2013 Fundraiser: We raised $1041.06 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Ambassadors hosted the event, Make-A-Wish Under the Stars a movie night which featured two movies, Wreck-It-Ralph in our Auditorium and The Sandlot which was shown on our lawn under the stars! The Ambassadors also prepared and ran our concession stand, helping the night become a huge success! Click below to view pictures and a thank you letter from the event!
Make-A-Wish Fundraiser Thank You Letter
Make-A-Wish Article from RD Patch
Spring 2012 Fundraiser: We raised $2700 for the Cancer Support Community. We had a series of Bake Sale Competitions after school. Students collaborated with other students in their Physical Education classes to decide what to offer and tied in healthy alternatives for snacks.
Spring 2011 Fundraiser: We raised $225 for the American Red Cross to support Japan Disaster Relief. Our Ambassadors brought in baked goods to sell before and after school. We also sold bracelets which read the message "Hope for Japan" in both English and Japanese
Fall 2010 Fundraiser: We raised $450 for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Ambassadors made and sold pink and white tye-die T-shirts featuring a pink breast cancer awareness ribbon. Take a look at one of our sample Ribbon T-Shirts and click here to see the picture in the Town News!
Spring 2010 Fundraiser: We participated in a fundraiser called Penny Wars, for which all proceeds went towards helping Haiti. Students voted for teachers to engage in a "dare", such as getting their head shaved, pie eating contest, video game tournament and water balloon tournament. All pennies counted as a vote for the teacher, and all other money (change and bills) counted as a vote against the teachers. The culmination of events occurred on February 12th in the Auditorium at 1:45 p.m.
Fall 2009 Fundraiser: The school voted on the Make-A-Wish Foundation as the charity to receive our donations. From November - February, we held bakesale competitions among our homerooms, and then donated all proceeds to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey. We successfully raised $5,500 and partially adopted the wish of Kiaari, a 4-year-old girl who wished to go to Disney World! In past years, our fundraisers have also raised as much as $5,500 and we also sent a 6-year-old boy named Christian to Disney World to fulfill his Wish!
Also, check out past donations from our school-wide fundraisers by clicking on the links below:
American_Cancer_Society_Thank_you_letter.pdf
Make A Wish - Town News Article
Make_A_Wish_-_Thank_you_letter.pdf
Make-A-Wish_2010_-_Kiaari_Disney.pdf