Arkansas FBLA State Service Projects

Below is a brief description of the state and national service projects. These projects cover a wide spectrum and offer FBLA members the opportunity to give back to the community in the form of service. While some are fund-raising, others are geared to raising awareness and providing education.

Arkansas Children's Hospital (state project). Over $21,000 was raised in 2001-2002 for the Arkansas Children's Hospital Foundation. These funds help keep the hospital in the forefront of treatment for children across Arkansas and neighboring states. The hospital serves children in every county in the state and accepts patients regardless of their parents' ability to pay. ACH is the sixth largest pediatrics hospital in the nation and is known nationwide for its burn center. Local chapters raise funds through a variety of activities. The three chapters raising the most money for ACH will be recognized at the State Leadership Conference in April or at the Junior High Spring Conferences in April and May. The money raised this year will go to fund new incubators for the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit.
If members saw the special four-part series titled ICU: Arkansas Children's Hospital aired in August on ABC, then you realize the importance of this equipment. We can make a difference in children's lives by helping the hospital buy new equipment for the ICU unit.
For literature and additional information about the ACH project, refer to the mailing each local chapter received from the Arkansas Children's Hospital Foundation in late August or contact Leah Henderson at (501) 364-1867 or 1-800-880-7491. You may also reach her by e-mail at hendersonlm@archildrens.org.

Gift of Life Project (Arkansas Organ and Recovery Agency) (state project). More and more we are made aware of the need for organ transplants to save Arkansas lives. This point was brought home very vividly in the Arkansas Children's Hospital special on ABC in August. Just consider the following facts:

• There are 80,435 people in the U.S. waiting for a transplant.
• There were 24,076 transplants performed in the U.S. in 2001.
• 16 people die every day waiting for a transplant, 5,840 per year, one every 90 minutes.
• Over 800,000 Arkansans have indicated their wish to be a donor by joining the Arkansas Donor Registry.
• In 2001, there were 11,958 deaths reported from hospitals in Arkansas to ARORA
• Only 65 of these people were potential organ donors (brain dead, heart beating, and on a ventilator)--33 became donors.
• One organ donor can donate the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas, and intestine. This can help as many as eight people, although the average is three.
• More than 25,000 Americans die each year under circumstances that would allow them to become organ donors, but an average of only 5,000 become organ donors.
• Tissue donation: Bone, tendons, heart valves, and eyes for corneas, although for the most part not life saving, can help as many as 75-100 people. The number of tissue donors is also very low.

For presentations or ideas for projects, call or e-mail* Keith W. Maddison:
(501) 224-2623, 1-800-727-6726, or kwmtrubrit@hotmail.com*
*Be sure to put FBLA in the subject area of your e-mail

March of Dimes Mission LIFT (State and National Project). Arkansas FBLA raised over $80,000 for the March of Dimes in the 2001-2002 school year! This earned the state a first place finish in the nation. Nettleton High School also received first place in the nation as the local chapter raising the most money for March of Dimes. At the state level, the state March of Dimes recognizes the three top FBLA chapters in two categories: Financial and Activities. These awards are presented annually at the State Leadership Conference or the District Junior High Spring Conferences.
Mission LIFT (Leading Into the Future Together) represents a long-standing collaboration between the March of Dimes and FBLA-PBL. Mission LIFT provides the opportunity for members to hone their leadership skills by volunteering for the March of Dimes activities. An integral part of this is the leadership development curriculum that goes with the project.
Five percent of funds raised by FBLA-PBL chapters will go the FBLA-PBL National Association. Local FBLA-PBL chapters may then apply for grants to pilot new programs, as well as support ongoing programs and participation at FBLA-PBL national conferences. Refer to your national Chapter Management Handbook for additional information about this program.
Two campaigns that are easy to complete are the "Dimes" Campaign and the "Canister Campaign for Healthier Babies." Below are brief descriptions of these programs:
March of Dimes "DIMES" Campaign
Every day in this country 95 babies die before they reach their first birthday. You can help reduce this tragic statistic by supporting the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation. Your dimes and dollars really can make a difference. Your efforts will support research and educational programs aimed at giving every baby a healthy start in life.
It's easy to make a difference:

• Fill the cards with coins (cards available from your local March of Dimes).
• Ask others to contribute
• Return the filled card

The total dollars raised will also help your school:

• $1,000 earns a VCR
• $1,500 earns a 19" color TV

March of Dimes will furnish you with cards and other supplies needed for the campaign.

March of Dimes "Canister Campaign for Healthier Babies"
This fund-raiser is very simple but very successful:

• Secure permission from your principal to have a Canister Campaign to benefit the March of Dimes at your school.
• Select one class (usually 4th period) right after lunch.
• Teachers will compete to see which class can collect the most donations for the March of Dimes and our campaign of saving babies...Together.
• Students will place their donations (Change or Bills) on the teacher's desk at the beginning of the class period. The catch to this campaign is that the teacher cannot start teaching until all donations have been counted and listed on the tally sheet. The more money put on the desk, the longer it will take to count the donations, and the shorter class will be that day.

This is a great fund raiser, a lot of fun and generates a lot of excitement in your school for the March of Dimes.
The March of Dimes will provide you with March of Dimes buckets. You will need one for each teacher.
As an extra incentive for both of these projects, you might contact a local pizza business to see if they would be willing to donate a pizza party to the classroom that raises the most money.
Another easy project for March of Dimes is selling the March of Dimes Beanie babies -- they have a large variety and they remain a popular items with students!
To order supplies for a local fund-raiser (dimes cards, canister campaign, or Beanie babies) contact the March of Dimes office serving you:

Community Service Marathon. This is a new national project and will also be implemented at the state level. The chapters who donate the most hours per member in community service on this day will be recognized at the state leadership conference and the regional meetings at NLC.
The purpose of this project is to provide visibility for FBLA-PBL chapters nationwide at the close of FBLA-PBL Week, while participating in a worthwhile community service activity. It is a chance for you to give back to your community and show the world that FBLA-PBL cares.
Take the Saturday of FBLA-PBL Week (February 15, 2003) to dedicate solely to community service. Choose a community service project and implement it into your local chapter. As members dedicate their time to this service project, log the amount of time your chapter works. These hours will be added up and will qualify you for a state and a national award.
Suggested Activities: Work with the March of Dimes, volunteer at a homeless shelter, conduct a blood drive, develop community improvement projects, develop a project with another service organization. The possibilities are endless. Contact the state adviser for a copy of the chapter registration form to use for this project.