Photo provided CSA Fodrea third grader Zane Rossitis puts the finishing touches on gingerbread landscaping.
A sweet, holiday-spirit-filled fundraiser is making the rounds once again.
Book Buddies students and volunteers at all 11 Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. elementary schools have been putting together gingerbread houses for the program’s annual display and fundraiser. Director Gretchen Tregoning said that they aimed to have all the houses in place at Gramz Bakery by the end of the day on Dec. 2, and they will remain there throughout the month.
This year’s display continues a recent tradition of having a theme of gingerbread houses based off books, such as “The Snowy Day.” Community members can vote for their favorite by making donations, which will go toward purchasing books and supplies for Book Buddies.
Students from the first, second and third place schools will receive prizes, which typically include books and other treats, said Tregoning.
“We really appreciate the support that the community gives us through this fundraiser,” she said.
The 11 gingerbread houses were donated by the eastside Walmart. Columbus East senior Eli Brennan designed and constructed wooden display tables and shelves for the houses as part of his senior project.
The annual tradition first began at the Inn at Irwin Gardens in 2013. The idea came from Ashleigh Fisher, who was the event coordinator for the inn at the time. The houses were then displayed at Viewpoint Books in 2014. Gramz has hosted the display since 2015.
Book Buddies is a volunteer-based tutoring program that helps second and third graders in BCSC improve their reading skills. Tregoning reported that the school year is going well, and there are a few more volunteers in the program than last year. Overall, there are about 230 volunteers serving 150 to 160 students.
She said that they’re always looking for more help, especially as some volunteers who are also retirees tend to take extended vacations around this time of year and substitutes are needed. Additionally, there is a waitlist of students that they’d like to bring into the program.
Pre-pandemic, Book Buddies had more than 300 volunteers. They are currently looking to increase their number of volunteers at certain schools, such as Taylorsville and Smith. Furthermore, all of BCSC’s elementary schools have at least one day a week where they’re short on volunteers.
“We would love to have about 100 more volunteers, and we have students who could benefit from those,” said Tregoning.
