by June Portnoy

During a school assembly on November 19th, Holland Elementary School presented a check in the amount of $2,038 to two representatives from Neighborhood Outreach Foundation (NOF).

The money was raised during the school’s annual Holland Harvest, a fall festival that took place October 24th. This school-wide event run by the PTO and staff is always held around Halloween. It features a Spooky Hallway manned by sixth graders dressed in scary costumes.

Other highlights include face painting, pumpkin decorating, Halloween crafts, as well as food and refreshments.

The event is held during the evening and open to the community.  The school raises money by selling tickets to the various attractions.

It’s up to each year’s Holland Harvest Committee to select a local charity to which it will donate the proceeds of this event, and this year it chose the NOF. The mission of this non-profit Council Rock community-based organization is to offer help and assistance to community members who are facing financial peril. Its commitment is to provide aid when other support systems have faltered or are unavailable.

“Neighborhood Outreach Foundation has helped many families at our school, so this is our way of giving back to this organization,” said Holland’s Principal Andy Sanko. “During the nine years that I have been principal here, this foundation has helped close to a dozen of our families.”

“We usually get referrals of families in need from Council Rock school nurses or Council Rock social workers, but anyone can make a referral to Neighborhood Outreach Foundation regarding a family in need,” said Gail Soboloski, an NOF board member who accepted the school’s check with fellow board member, Joanne Talbot.

“All of the proceeds from the Holland Harvest fundraiser will go directly back to the community.”

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