At this year’s Michigan Renaissance Festival in Holly, Mich., Notre Dame Prep seniors Zach Goldasich, third from left, Max Schwegman, Jermaih Johnson, Mario Apruzzese and David Klei helped officials load a Notre Dame bus with school supplies for area children.Notre Dame students volunteered September 7-8 at the 33nd Annual Michigan Renaissance Festival and collected thousands of supplies for area schoolchildren as part of a local Stuff-A-Bus program.
An ND school bus was bursting at the seams as patrons of the Michigan Renaissance Festival in Holly brought in school supplies for the needy in the area. NDPMA transportation coordinator Larry Jack worked with Lighthouse of Oakland County and Genisys Credit Union (Auburn Hills) on this initiative. NDP students on hand during the weekend made sure donors were well taken care of and that the bus was filled as efficiently as possible.
"More than 1,060 adults and 520 children brought in school supplies for the cause," Jack said. "This was a big increase over last year's Stuff-A-Bus, which also was very successful."
Patrons of the Renaissance Festival were encouraged to bring school supplies for the needy to receive a FREE child admission ticket, and adults received $5.00 off admission to the festival.
Lighthouse will handle distribution of the donated supplies to schoolchildren who otherwise would not have access to them.
“Since this was coordinated by Notre Dame Prep students, the event is a great example of kids helping kids,” said Jackie Buchanan, president and CEO of Genisys. “And we appreciate the support from the Michigan Renaissance Festival for offering the discounted tickets to adults, and free tickets for children with each donation.”
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.