Projects:

Girl Scout Troops Community Project.  Local Girl Scout troops can get involved in creating handmade bracelets with the letter B-A-M for "Blindness Awareness Month" in the States of New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

BAM Bracelets Multi-color beaded bracelet is designed in recognition of Blindness Awareness Month. The beaded bracelet has three block letters B-A-M. The cost of each bracelet is $3.00 plus shipping and handling. 

 

(Click on image for  larger color view)

FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES:

PENNY CARNIVAL:
Invent Games and props and prizes
Each station cost a penny to play
While the goal is to have fun, a penny carnival is a great fundraising event

Ideas for games at Penny Carnival:

COIN DROP RACE:
In this relay, team members must be both swift of foot and steady of hand. To add a blindness challenge, blindfold one of the players and have them escorted by one of their teammates.

What you Need: An egg carton, about 20 pennies per team,
one bowl for each team

Number of Players: At least four divided into teams

Setup: Mark start and turn-back lines a good distance apart. Cut the lids from the egg cartons and place one for each team on the ground midway between the start and turn-back lines. Place 20 pennies in each bowl and put a bowl for each team on the turn-back line.

How to play: The teams line up at the start line. At "Go," one player from each team races to the turn-back line, picks up one penny from her team's bowl, and runs to her team's egg carton. There, she gets one chance to drop the penny into one cup of the carton - without lowering her arm below waist height. She then runs back to the start line and the next player goes. The game ends when a team has gotten at least one penny in each cup of its egg carton

THE MONEY PIT:
Pennies take the place of marbles in this version of a traditional game with its own rich lingo.

What you Need: A Marker, a large piece of corrugated cardboard, scissors, pennies, making tape and a pen.

Number of Players: Two to eight

Setup: Cut a circle about three feet in diameter from the cardboard, then cut a 12-inch round hole in its center, Scatter 12 pennies - the "mibs" - about halfway between the center hold and the outer circle. Mark three "shooter" pennies per player with bits of masking tape and distinguishing mars made with the pen.

How to play: Each player gets three shooter pennies, When it's his turn, a player flicks a shooter from the edge of the circle toward the center hole, aiming to hit one or more of the mibs into the hole and not have his shooter fall in. If the payer succeeds, he can shoot again from the edge of the circle. If he misses, or his shooter ends up outside the circle or in the center hole, his turn is over and his shooter becomes a mib. Each mib knocked into the center hole earns one point for the player who knocked it in. The game goes on until all the mibs or shooters are in the hold. The winner is the player with the most points

PENNY SPOON RACE:
The challenge may sound simple, but it's a tricky test of grace and speed

What you Need: A bowl of pennies and large spoons

Number of Players: Two or more. If there are a lot of racers, divide them into heats and have a race between the winners to determine the champion.

Setup: Mark the start and finish lines. Count the number of pennies it takes to fill a spoon, and place that many pennies per player in a bowl.

How to play: Each player gets a spoon and fills it with the specified amount of pennies. After the referee calls "Ready, Set, Go!" players race towards the finish line. If a penny falls from a spoon, the player has to stop, pick up the coin and put it back onto the spoon before continuing. The first player to cross the finish line with a full spoon wins.

POLKA DOT PENNY PITCH:
Carnival Goers will see spots before their eyes when they play this version of the classic midway game.

What you Need: A white plastic tablecloth, a card or picnic table, a tin can, permanent markers, a clean dustpan and broom, a blowl or bag and pennies.

Number of Players: Unlimited, but one at a time.

Setup: Place the tablecloth over the table, then trace around the can with a the markers to create circles all over the surface. Mark a throwing line several feet back from the table, equip a helper with a dustpan and broom and a bowl or bag for sweeping the pennies off the table after each player is done pitching.

How to play: Each player gets five pennies per turn. Standing behind the line, he tosses the pennies, one at a time, onto the game board. If his penny lands entirely with one of the circles, he wins a prize: a piece of penny candy.



PINCHING PENNIES:
Whether a player is a chopsticks master or a total novice who holds a stick in each hand, this game will be a bit messy and a lot of fun. Just make sure that you play it outside - and that no one eats the gelatin!

What you Need: Several large bowls, gelatin, chopsticks for each player, and about 40 pennies for each bowl (an odd number of pennies reduces the chance of the game ending in a tie)

Number of Players: Up to four per bowl

Setup: make the gelatin according to the package instructions, adding food coloring if designed. After the mixture has set for about 11/2 hours, gently add the pennies, distributing them around the bowl. (If you add the pennies too early, they will sink to the bottom.) Return the bowl to the refrigerator until the gelatin is fully set.

How to play: When they hear "Start!" players use their chopsticks to try to remove as many pennies as possible from the bowl. Whoever can pinch the most pennies wins.


OTHER IDEAS...

ASK YOUR GUESTS TO...
Bring along their spare change (on the invitation, make sure you mention what you're raising funds for). As the partygoers arrive, they can dump their change into a central collection bin.

DRAWING with CHANGE:
Invite budding artists to draw animals, birds, vehicles, or whatever they can dream up, using pennies as templates. Just place a stack of paper, colored markers or pencils, and some pennies on the table, along with a few penny template drawings to sample shape drawings, check out Ed Emberley's books.)

COIN WASH:
Between drawings, each guest can search for a penny from her birth year and make it sparkle like it's fresh from the mint. Set a bowl of pennies on the table with a large bowl of water and a few dish towels. In a small bowl, make a cleaning solution by dissolving 1 teaspoon salt into ? cup white vinegar. In another bowl, add just enough water to small amount of baking soda to form a paste. Have a collector soak her penny in the vinegar solution for about five minutes, then rinse it in the bowl of water. For extra shininess, she can use a paper towel or her thumb to scrub the coin with the baking soda paste.



A PENNY MORE:
This simple stacking contest rewards patience and a steady hand. Builders take pennies from a heaping bowl and stack them in a single-width tower as high as they can. After a player's tower topples, she counts up the number of coins she stacked, and writes her name and score on the score sheet. After trying for the highest single stack, budding engineers may want to attempt multilevel skyscrapers and bridges.

CHILDREN MAKING CHANGE WITH LOOSE COINS
Car Wash
Yard sales
Singing telegrams
Bake sales

"DANCING WITH THE PRINCIPALS" COMPETITION
Ticket Donate $5
Middle School - High Schools
Teachers, Principals, district Superintendents (Blindfolded)
Attempt to Swing " salsa " tango their way to victory
Judging based on the couples smooth dance moves


BRING "AWARENESS" - IDEAS:

International Walk to School Day is October 7th

2800 U.S. Schools Participate! Why not get your school to participate! In addition find a friend to blindfold; this will help them experience what it feels like to be blind. To organize an event in your community, check out the tips and resources at www.walktoschool.org .

Quotes from people we know!

"Blindness Awareness Month" is a great way for the sighted community to have a better understanding of what visually impaired and blind individuals go through on a daily basis.

"At Camp Little Rock, we can do the activities even though we're visually impaired. "

"The Little Rock Foundation is an impressive organization helping many families across the United States."

"Thanks to the Little Rock Foundation for believing in me and giving me a scholarship to help me achieve my goals and attend the college of my choice."