BFMS students help local charity
Photo by TANNA YEOUMANS The Leadership Class at Bonners Ferry Middle School with Tony Fleck from Two Tones, his staff member, and the representatives from the Hope House and BOCO Backpacks, as well as teacher Kelly Hinthorn.
Photo by TANNA YEOUMANS The Leadership class raised money for BOCO backpacks and Hope House.
Photo by TANNA YEOUMANS Two Tones brought Mac and Cheese and Spaghetti as a thank you to the class.
Photo by TANNA YEOUMANS Cassidy Underhill helped her classmates and the Two Tones staff during the busy fundraiser night.
Photo by TANNA YEOUMANS “I like the feeling I get when I can help a lot of people because I get to see their reactions and they are just really happy,” said Maggie Bateman, while wiping down tables.
BONNERS FERRY — On Sept. 24, the BFMS Leadership class brought their talent and hard work to Two Tones Cafe for an evening of food and entertainment toward a good cause.
Two Tones hosted the open mic event during their evening services, showcasing local young talent, in order to raise funding for the BOCO Backpack program and the Hope House of Boundary County.
The BOCO Backpack program provides a variety of food in a bag for those students who need a little extra food to make it through the week. Every Thursday, students are sent home with a healthy variety of snacks, drinks and canned foods to assist with sustenance over the weekend.
The Hope House of Boundary County assists those in need with clothing, food, baby items, and more. They assist those individuals who are hard-pressed to make ends meet with things that are necessary to get by.
“When we give to the community, they give back to us,” said Carrie Runyan, a student in the Leadership class.
The students not only performed on stage, but also behind the scenes, assisting the staff members at Two Tones carry out a successful busy evening.
“I thought it was a really fun event, because I got to see everybody working together as a big group and not everybody trying to do their own thing, everybody was working together,” said student Makenna Olson. “I was mostly in the back, but everyone was like, ‘Oh, we need water,’ so we would get the water and give it to them. Then they would go out and come back and ask for more.”
On Oct. 1, the Leadership classroom at the Boundary County Middle School was packed with about 30 students and four visitors.
The students went around the room and spoke of various things, such as why they were in the class, what they liked about it, and what they thought about the dinner fundraiser at Two Tones Cafe.
“I liked the Two Tones event because we got to meet new people and help our community,” said student Mariah Cooper.
“I liked the Two Tones event because we got to talk to people in the community,” said Martie Peterson.
Not all of them spoke about the fundraiser evening. Some spoke of the reason they liked being in the Leadership class.
“‘Be the change you wish to see in the world,’ that is our class motto. So starting with yourself, you will be that change that you want to see,” said Nevaeh Elliston.
“We are in this class to help support our community and our school,” said Dylon Mai.
“I enjoy Leadership class because I have done it for three years and I have had to improve myself so much as a leader,” said Mia Blackmore.
There were a couple of students that mentioned upcoming events that the class is involved in.
Travis Peterson spoke of the upcoming Volley for the Cure breast cancer awareness event at BFMS and BFHS.
“Everyone is going to wear pink and we are going to play some volleyball games,” said Petersen.
During the Badgers’ varsity volleyball home game against Clark Fork High School on Oct. 2, the stands were filled with pink shirts. The volleyball girls also donned customized pink shirts for the ‘Dig Pink’ cause.
“Another event that is coming up is Ladies in Leadership, and it is an event where people can come in and sell their products,” said student Majasa Allred, speaking of the annual sale supporting local lady leaders and their wares.
The class is also working on a scrapbook project, which is continuing to come together.
Two Tones owner, Tony Fleck, brought in trays of spaghetti and meatballs, as well as macaroni and cheese, as a reward for the Leadership class. The class thanked Two Tones for helping the class accomplish their goals and bringing a second lunch for the day.
Fleck has an idea to continue an open mic night and assist various other charity organizations reach their goals in the future. In addition to the donations from attendees, Fleck also donated a portion of the sales during the event to the charity or charities that the fundraiser was for.
During the last class of the day, there were checks presented to the attending members of the BOCO Backpack program and the Hope House representative for an upwards amount of $700 towards each cause, raised during the dinner and entertainment evening at Two Tones Cafe.
With smiling faces and full bellies, the class seemed proud of its accomplishment and thankful to those around them who helped them reach their goals.