Alvin and the Chipmunks’ rendition of “Hula Hoops” wasn’t just playing last week to make your passing periods feel like they have more holiday spirit; it was to raise money by having students pay to get it turned off. The money was raised by fifth hour social skills classes so they could go and make bears at Oak Park Mall’s Build-A-Bear. They were not making the bears for themselves, but children who are in need of something to snuggle with during the cold winter months.
Through the songs being played through the halls, donut sales and raffle ticket sales, they made more than $200. The coffee shop was planning on matching their amount, but since they made more than expected, the coffee shop didn’t need to match it.
SHARE chair executive and senior Addie Anthony helped the fifth hour social skills plan out their fundraising and also went along with the students to help with making the bears.
“Every year we do a giving project, last year we did Hospice House and donated blankets to the homeless,” said Anthony. “This year we chose Build-A-Bear because they already had a donation box for Toys for Tots.”
The class left East right before lunch last Friday and headed over to the mall. The class ended up splitting in half because of the large class number and the amount of bears needed to be made. One group ate lunch in the food court and the other went to build the bears. At the end of the day each student got the opportunity to make a bear and the total number of bears made was around 30 in two hours.
Junior Mallory Morrison is part of the social skills class and was more than excited to go and build bears for kids in need along with having fun while doing it.
“It was a lot of fun,” Morrison said, “Even if we didn’t get to keep the bears.”
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