Each back-to-school season, many Glimcher malls across the nation present the Earning for Learning program, a fundraiser for local schools. Town Center Plaza and Town Center Crossing, situated between Nall and Roe at 119th Street in Leawood, held their first Earning for Learning program in 2012. The high school, middle school and elementary school with the most points each received $2,000 in unrestricted funding from Town Center Plaza and Town Center Crossing. The school with the most points in each catagory wins the cash prize.
This year’s fund-raising program will take place in August and September, one month earlier than in 2012. During the contest, shoppers present their receipts at the centers’ main office and designate which school they are supporting.
The contest coordinators are reaching out to schools earlier this year to give PTAs and other school boosters time to get the word out to parents. With the first year completed and the checks to the schools, project coordinators Grace Maher and Cris Burnett want to share the information about this program for the next school year as soon as possible. Because the funds are unrestricted, schools have wide latitude in filling needs specific to their situations. Continuing school budget cuts mean fund-raising is becoming even more important to schools, and the Earning for Learning program can help fulfill that need.
“Earning For Learning is our way of contributing to the local schools, giving back to those who give education to the young people in our community,” said Burnett, the centers’ marketing director. “This program combines the fun of shopping and the satisfaction of giving back. It’s a win-win.”
For the schools to receive the benefits, parents and school supporters have to be aware of the program and to plan for it. “Our goal right now is to create awareness by sharing the message with shoppers, through our stores and restaurants, and through our relationships with the schools,” says Maher, who is marketing coordinator for the centers.
Burnett notes that the contest’s two-month time frame gives parents time to be more flexible in their school shopping while still participating in the program.
Burnett says the contest is simple and may even be a way to show school spirit. “This is a great way to make your back to school shopping count as a benefit to your school. Have fun and show your school pride at the same time.”
As an added incentive, Town Center Crossing and Town Center Plaza are offering a drawing for a gift card
every week during the Earning for Learning promotion.
Last year’s recipients were Black Bob Elementary, Frontier Trail Middle School and Rockhurst High School. School leaders shared what they have done with the funds.
Dr. Barry Cook, Black Bob Elementary principal, says the money was given to the school’s parent-teacher association to help support the programs, services, field trips and more that they provide for students. “That was such a wonderful ‘gift’ from Town Center,” Cook says. Frontier Trail Middle School Principal Dr. Rod Smith says the money was a pleasant surprise. “We look for resources that allow us additional team builders. As a middle school, we have teams and during the year, they work on team builders so that, as an example, kids get to know each other or teachers can reward correction behavior. Perhaps it’s setting aside the last 30 minutes of the day for an electronics party where kids can listen to music. Maybe it’s for students who are struggling to turn in homework so that at the midterm, we will bring in ice cream or pizza for a party to honor improvements.”
Receiving the unrestricted funds means the school staff can make sure 800 students benefit from the various incentives. Smith says some celebrations occur at the end of the year where students can mark the passage of the year with a cookout, hosting a wacky Olympics or playing lawn games. “While these may not seem costly, it is the time with friends linked with success in the classroom that means a lot to us all. We are thankful,” Smith says.
At Rockhurst High School, about 35 percent of the families receive grants and other assistance to send their sons to the Jesuit high school. Chief Advancement Officer Larry Freeman says tuition assistance is so vital and often helps families cut tuition into a more manageable sum. “We sometimes have families with two or three sons attending so obviously they need some help so everyone who wants this extraordinary education can reach it. Such benefactors and others who offer unrestricted funds are so important to us. We could always use more, especially in light of the current economics.”
–Lynn Thomson
