Krafty Kids and SIFE combine to raise funds for after-school program

On Feb. 25 from 5 to 7 p.m., students and community members will have the chance to buy pots. Yes, you read correctly–pots. However, these pots are actually flowerpots hand-decorated by children at Children and Family Urban Ministries.

These children attend an after-school program at CFUM called The Haven, which offers homework help, fun activities and literacy enrichment for school-aged children. Children in this program typically come from families at or near the poverty line, and many of the kids attend Moulton Elementary School just across the street from CFUM.

About 10 members of Drake’s Students In Free Enterprise volunteer their time once a week to help fourth and fifth grade students who attend The Haven to learn valuable skills they don’t learn in school. Last year, SIFE decided to have a craft sale where these children created crafts and sold them on campus at Drake. This taught the students how to develop a product, market the product and sell the product. The children, with the help of SIFE, raised over $150 for their organization.

This year, SIFE decided to change things up and help the kids in a slightly different way.

Madeleine Hornick, one of the project leaders of the SIFE group dedicated to The Haven, decided to help the children create crafts that are more meaningful to the consumers than the bookmarks and necklaces created last school year. Hornick brought up the idea of having the kids decorate flowerpots to sell. That way, community members could have a functional craft, while donating to a good cause. The goal is to double the funds that were raised last year.

Hy-Vee donated all of the necessary supplies: flowerpots, markers, seeds and potting mix. Becase of Hy-Vee’s donation, 100 percent of the profits will go straight back to The Haven. Members of the SIFE group spent many weeks monitoring the children as they decorated these flowerpots and assisted the kids as needed. Now, it is time to sell.

If anyone would like to participate in the sale, stop by the Hubbell Dining Hall walkway and buy a one-of-a-kind flowerpot decorated by a child from Children and Family Urban Ministries for only $5. Also, everyone who purchases a pot will get the chance to meet the artists themselves.Many of them will be on campus to help sell their masterpieces.

Purchase your plant

What: Krafty Kids pottery sale
When: Friday, 5-7 p.m.
Where: Hubbell Dining Hall
Cost: $5 per flowerpot, and 100 percent of sales goes to CFUM