OCEAN CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
GIVES BACK!
Faculty and staff at Ocean City Elementary school feel it is important to foster a culture of giving, express our gratitude to our community and make a positive impact on the lives of others and our environment. Each year, in order to help make a difference in the lives of others, we donate our time and collect money and supplies for many different community and national organizations. In addition, we work to positively impact our environment through initiatives implemented at our school.
HEAVENLY HATS FOUNDATION
Since 2001,
the Heavenly Hats Foundation has donated more than 3,200,000 hats to
hundreds of hospitals and clinics across the country. These special hats
provide warmth, comfort, courage, strength and smiles to Hat Heroes. We hold our annual Heavenly Hats Spirit Day in October. For a $1 donation, faculty, staff and students have the privilege of wearing their favorite hat to school. In 2021, Ocean City Elementary School’s Heavenly Hats Spirit Day raised $538.50.
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS
Ocean City Elementary School holds a Wear Pink Casual Day in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month. In 2019, faculty and staff contributed $156 to the Women Supporting Women organization serving the Delmarva Peninsula.
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY - RELAY FOR LIFE
Relay For Life is a community-based fundraising event for the American Cancer Society. Every year, we support our local Relay for Life event through various fundraisers. One fundraiser we do every year is to sell paper strips. Students and staff write the name of a loved one on the paper strip. The memory strips are then used to form a chain as we “band together” to stop cancer. The culminating event is a "paint the school purple" day where students and staff dress in purple and we parade around school grounds holding our paper chain. In 2019, we raised approximately $1,200 for our local Relay for Life.
AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION
Each year faculty, staff and students at Ocean City Elementary School participate in the Jump Rope for Heart event to raise money for the American Heart Association. We are one of the top fundraisers in the Mid Atlantic raising $405,151 to date. In 2020, we raised $21,500!
WORCESTER COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY
The Worcester County Humane Society is a non-profit, no-kill shelter whose purpose is to find loving, forever homes for animals. In 2021, faculty, staff and students gave $1676 to the Humane Society and donated hundreds of boxes of dog and cat toys, cat beds, kitty litter, dog and cat food and other pet supplies.
AUTISM AWARENESS
The month of April is Autism Awareness Month. At Ocean City Elementary School, we hold an annual "Light it up Blue for Autism Awareness" campaign to help raise awareness of this disorder. Staff make a donation to dress casual for one day and we donate the funds to the Autism Society. In 2019, we donated $342.
PAJAMA PROGRAM
Ocean City Elementary held its first Pajama Drive in 2018. Faculty, staff and students donated new pairs of pajamas to the Pajama Program, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that provides new, warm pajamas and books to children in need. In 2019, we collected 132 pairs of pajamas!
WORCESTER COUNTY OUTREACH PROGRAM
During the holiday season, faculty, staff and students at Ocean City Elementary School show kindness towards others by collecting hats, gloves, and scarves for the Worcester County Outreach Program.
MARYLAND FOOD BANK
In keeping with the spirit of giving, faculty, staff and students collect nonperishable food items during the holidays to be distributed by the Maryland Food Bank.
UNITED WAY
Every year, OCES faculty and staff
donate thousands of dollars to our local United Way through one time donations or payroll deductions. Worcester County Public Schools raise over $50,000 during its United Way campaign.
VALENTINES FOR VETERANS
Each year, students create hand-made valentines as part of the Valentines for Veterans Card Program to thank veterans for their sacrifices and let them know that they are loved, appreciated, and not forgotten. This is also one way students demonstrate our school motto - showing that they have "caring hearts." In 2020, the cards were sent to Perry Point and Charlotte Hall Veterans Hospitals, Baltimore Rehab and Baltimore VA Medical Center.
DAFFODIL DAYS
Fresh daffodils bring hope! Ocean City Elementary School supports the American Cancer Society by selling bunches of daffodils and pots of daffodil bulbs every Spring. In addition, we offer the "Gift of Hope" where flowers are bought and then delivered to cancer patients in local hospitals. Last year, we donated several hundred dollars to this worthy cause.
