Township Residents Vote via Facebook to Raise $500K for Local Schools

West Orange residents have taken to the popular social media website Facebook to raise $500,000 for their school of choice through the Kohl's Cares for Kids program.

A cause-merchandise program sponsored by Kohl's department store and promoted via Facebook, Kohl's Cares for Kids is giving away $10 million to U.S. public and nonprofit schools for kindergarten to twelfth grade. Kohl's will donate up to $500,000 to the top 20 schools based on public voting volume and idea submissions.

The rules are simple: The schools with the most votes and best ideas on what they would do with the money, win. 

"At Kohl's we are excited to celebrate the tenth anniversary of our Kohl's Cares philanthropic program by giving back to the communities that we serve. As kids and parents think about the new school year, we want everyone to dream big about how half a million dollars could impact their favorite school," said Julie Gardner, Kohl's executive vice president and chief marketing officer. "We believe that when communities thrive so does business. We feel so strongly about this program and the positive effect it could have that we have made it the cornerstone of the company's Back-to-School campaign."

West Orange residents already have entered their respective township schools.

So far, the West Orange public schools that have been entered into the contest by Facebook members are West Orange High School, Liberty Middle School, Mt. Pleasant Elementary School, Hazel Avenue Elementary School and Pleasantdale Elementary School. Private and Catholic West Orange schools that currently are in the running are Blessed Pope John XXIII Academy, Mt. Carmel Guild Academy, Seton Hall Preparatory High School and Solomon Schechter Day Elementary School.

As of 11 a.m. Thursday, the school votes are as follows: West Orange High School, 63; Liberty Middle School, 35; Mt. Pleasant Elementary School, 15; Hazel Avenue Elementary School, 25; Pleasantdale Elementary School, 46; Blessed Pope John XXIII Academy, 10; Mt. Carmel Guild Academy, 0; Seton Hall Preparatory High School, 5; Solomon Schechter Day Elementary School, 2.

Schools not listed in the Kohl's Cares database can be entered by emailing promoprocessing@aol.com. 

Once voters have selected and voted for a school, they can add an idea submission or video explaining what their school would do with the $500,000.

Suzanne Pennell, whose son will be a freshman at West Orange High School in September, voted and submitted her idea.

"(They should) maintain the high caliber of the Fine and Performing Arts department at the high school," she said. "I also included in my wish that some of the funds go to the soon to be instated Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program at the high school. As with involvement in the arts, studies show involvement in a JROTC program most often results in better academic performance."

Gina Fondetto's son will be attending the special education preschool at Pleasantdale Elementary School.

"I will do whatever it takes to give my son what he needs. Kohl's Cares was my first opportunity to try and fundraise for the school so that they can make improvements," she said. "I would like to see a sensory gym added not only for the special ed kids but for all of the children at the school" said Fondetto.

Alexandra DeRonde, co-President of Parents Advocating for Special Services in Education (PASSE), a parent-run special needs advocacy group in West Orange's public school district, said, the schools with the most votes have as much as 3,000, while some of West Orange's schools don't pass 100.

DeRonde, also a parent of two children attending Hazel Avenue Elementary School, said the contest is important because she knows the money can go a long way.

"Due to the State aide cuts and the school budget, we sure can use this money to help or benefit at least one school from the district," she said. "We can use the funds for an Art Teacher recently lost due to cuts, updated playgrounds, computer labs, language labs, primary ESL (English as a second language) programs and classroom smartboards to name a few."

Melissa Adasczik, a parent of two at Redwood Elementary School, has invested countless dollars into private physical, occupational, speech, social and behavioral therapies for her children.

"This costs us more than we can really afford, but you do what you have to for your children to be able to function properly in society … Many children, including my own are told they don't qualify for certain therapies in school," she said. "I know sometimes it is not that the children won't benefit from them, it is the fact that the schools can't afford more staff, equipment, room, etc."

Anyone can participate in the voting by going to the Facebook page. Voters must have a Facebook account and are allowed to cast five votes per school. The contest runs until Sept. 3.