On Sunday, May 17, Rachel McCoog’s senior project came to an exciting close as she planned and hosted a variety of events to raise money for her recently established Flora Foundation.
After attending a Learning Through Service trip with Tabor Academy classmates, McCoog was inspired to create her own foundation. The goal of the Flora Foundation is to assist single mothers in transitional homes with sending their children to day care and summer programs so that they can work and make a living.
McCoog’s foundation has developed over the past year as the number of families she has raised money for increases and she promotes awareness in the local and Tabor communities. For her senior project, McCoog focused on planning a variety of events to raise money for her cause.
McCoog is also co-head of the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA), and this group has put on events that raise money for the foundation while promoting awareness for the GSA as well.
The weekend of activities kicked off with a Tabor fire during which bonfires were located around campus with different themes such as live music, s’mores, and games. Donation boxes were located at the fire in order to raise money for the Flora Foundation.
A paint dance was the next event on Saturday night. Money was raised through ticket sales and attendees were sprayed with paint upon entry. Lots of students came out for the event and about $600 was raised from the dance alone.
The biggest event of the weekend was the Lap-A-Thon on Sunday. Lots of student and faculty teams participated, and a dozen student volunteers assisted McCoog in running the event.
Local restaurants and businesses donated raffle prizes to the cause, and a large amount of the money raised came from raffle entries. McCoog found the support of the Tri-Town incredibly important in her efforts.
The Lap-A-Thon had a variety of themes. For the first half hour, there was live music and Emily Dineen performed for the crowd. Next was a color run in which powder was splattered on runners in lots of colors. Then there was a passport relay competition, and for each lap that a team completed, they received a stamp. The winning team earned free raffle tickets.
Perhaps most importantly, a family that the Flora Foundation is assisting was able to attend the event and meet the participants. The kids will be attending camp this summer as a result of the money that McCoog has raised and their mother will be able to have a chance to work.
Senior Abi Taber had a great time at the event and especially enjoyed meeting the children. Taber found it refreshing to participate in this unique cause and finds it exciting “to make a difference in their childhood.”
McCoog was pleased with her event and the money that she raised throughout her project, which totaled over $7000.
“I think that the Lap-A-Thon and my senior project were great successes and I couldn’t have done it without the tremendous support I have gotten from our whole community,” says McCoog.
Visit www.theflorafoundation.org for more information.
By Julia O’Rourke
