Winton Woods Elementary gives back to community at Winter Marketplace

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Vincent Byndon, a fourth grader at Winton Woods Elementary School, holds his sign supporting SOUL Ministries during the school's "Warriors Give Back" winter marketplace.

This winter's Warrior Marketplace at Winton Woods Elementary School became an opportunity for students to give back to their community. The "Warriors Give Back" marketplace on Tuesday, December 1, benefitted five local charities: Freestore Foodbank, SPCA, Faces without Places which helps the homeless, Tri-County SOUL Ministries and the Ronald McDonald House.

The event was a combination of the school's Student Enterprise Program (StEP) through the University of Cincinnati and a partnership with Children’s Inc., an organization that provides schools and teachers with direct support in developing service-learning opportunities in the classroom.

"Students identified the needs in the greater community and chose several organizations to support," said Bryna Bass, service learning coordinator for Children's Inc., who has been working with the staff at WWES all year. "They researched the organizations, advocated for them in the school, and collected donations specific to each agency."

At the Winter Marketplace, which combined elements of the Trade Town Market Place model from Children's Inc. and the school's usual StEP marketplace, students “sold” products for their community partners. "Representatives from the various agencies were also present to meet with the students and create a dialogue between the students and the community," said Bass.

"Our students purchased items to donate to these charities with the Warrior Bucks they earned over the past quarter for good behavior," said Principal Kendell Dorsey. "WWES students donated well over ten 32-gallon containers of items." This included canned goods, school supplies, toys, household products, personal care products, and animal care products for the SPCA. Bunny Doebling, treasurer for SOUL Ministries, said that by the end of the fourth grade marketplace, she had received between $300-$400 worth of goods from the students that she wouldn’t have to buy. And the third grade marketplace was still to come that afternoon. "It's wonderful," said Doebling.

WWES teacher Karen Fritz, who helped coordinate the market, said she was proud of the students. "They earned Warrior bucks for an entire quarter and chose to buy things for others," Fritz said.

Bass said she was proud of everyone at Winton Woods Elementary. "The impact the students and staff of Winton Woods Elementary School have had on the greater community is priceless," Bass said. "If you were to go out and purchase everything that was collected and donated, it would cost in the thousands of dollars. The products will serve hundreds of children and families in the greater Cincinnati area, and animals too."

Winton Woods Elementary School students collected items for Faces Without Places, an organization that generates awareness and funds to keep children and youth experiencing homelessness connected to their education.