Junior leadership launches candygram fundraiser

The last week of school before winter break was filled with something sweet: candy. The junior leadership group worked together the past few weeks to create a fundraiser called candy grams. Each candygram consisted of one candy cane and a note card attached. Anyone in the school could write a message on the candygram and send it to whomever they wanted. The candy grams cost $1 and could be bought during power hour, both shifts in the Tiger Den on Dec. 14 through Dec. 16. 

A total of 111 candy grams were sold through the week of Dec. 14. The money raised was donated to the Humane Society animal shelter in Black Hawk county. Junior leadership adviser Lauren Chiles said, “I was a little nervous because on the first day they didn’t sell any, but then the second day they sold a bunch.” Chiles said that for the first year of doing a candy gram fundraiser, it was very successful. 

Chiles said she believes the fundraiser brought the junior leadership students closer together due to the fact that they brainstormed the idea on their own and initially took charge. “They had the idea of allowing the student body to take a survey on Schoology for which fundraiser the money would go toward, which was, in my opinion, really creative,” she said. 

Junior Paige Grainger who is a part of the junior leadership group said Eli Finika was the one who brought up the idea of having a candy gram sale for this year’s service project. “He mentioned how they did it in middle school and wanted to bring it back,” Grainger said. She also said that it was fun to work as a team and organize a new possible Cedar Falls tradition. 

The junior leadership group assembled the candy grams as well during power hour. 

Some students received more than 10 candy grams, which were arranged in a candy cane bouquet. “Instead of having the candy canes individually connected, they made an interesting gift that makes students feel kind of special,” Chiles said. Grainger said that Ellie Flynn had one of the highest amounts of candy grams received. 

Chiles said that she thinks doing a candy gram fundraiser next year would be a really good idea. “I think people had fun with it, and it was really successful, but it ultimately depends on what next year’s junior leadership group decides to do,” she said.