Artstangs and EYC raise money through creative fundraisers 

Fundraisers at NHS have been piling up. Two fundraisers, in particular, are going on; the Artstangs are selling buttons and the EYC (Environmental Youth Coalition) is selling tree saplings. 

The Artstangs, which are a group of students who are interested in Art, are currently doing a fundraiser selling buttons. They are selling buttons to fundraise money not only for their club but also for The Memory Project. 

According to Ms.Mead, the department chair for visual arts and the co-advisor for the Artstangs, The Memory Project is an organization that encourages art students to make portraits of children around the world who are refugees, in orphanages, or are facing neglect. 

Sherry Chen, senior and the student leader on the project says they chose the Memory Project because they “had already been working with them and [they] knew that this year the money and mailing out the portraits would be hard because the art department usually helps pay to get the portraits out.”  

The buttons come in three different designs: "Mask-Up Mustangs," "The Scream," and "I'm Fabulous." You can buy 1 button for $2.00 or you can buy 3 for $5.00. 

The Artstangs came up with the designs as a group. 

“We had a few brainstorming sessions and then we pretty much just let everyone drop-in” Says Chen. “We voted on them as a whole in terms of what we thought people would like to buy the most.” 

The Artstangs have done some fundraisers in the past like selling t-shirts but have never actually done a fundraiser for people outside of the group. 

Ms. Mead says, “we've done fundraisers within the group, like selling t-shirts and we tried to do a fundraiser with the Norwood food pantry before the pandemic hit. So for the most part we've done fundraising within the group but this is the first time we've done a fundraiser outside of the group.”

Sales for the buttons have been great. 

“We are almost sold out of the unicorn buttons and we have probably about a dozen or so of the other two buttons left,” says Mead.

Another fundraiser going on currently is for the EYC or the Environmental Youth Coalition. The EYC is selling tree saplings to be planted in the Norwood community. 

The EYC is a group of students who are interested in helping to save the environment and making it better. 

“I've been advisor of the club for 5 years but the club has been running for longer,” says Mrs.Leichtman, EYC faculty advisor and history teacher at NHS. 

“This is actually the first year we've done this,” says Leichtman. The EYC got an email from a nonprofit organization called Treeplenish which is an organization that wants to replenish trees around communities and decided to work with them to run this fundraiser. 

“As of today we have sold 118 trees and our goal is to sell 200,” says Leichtman.

The money raised will go back to the EYC to fund other projects that the club would like to do to help the community. They also plan on giving out stainless steel straws this year which they will be able to do if the club gets enough sales. 

The trees will be planted by students themselves on May 1. Students will be able to sign up to help plant trees as a student council service Saturday to which they can get volunteer hours. 

“In light of what the last year has been, it'll be nice to have accomplished something,” says Leichtman.