By Lauren McGlinn

Smoothies were the talk of the school on Friday December 10^th.   This beverage was brought to Loy Norrix by Smoothie King as PeaceJam held the first smoothie fundraiser at lunch.  $113 was raised from the smoothies, and was used for sending books to U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.  This money was also used to buy things such as spirit wear and other clothing for two Adopt-A-Families which PeaceJam as well as the Natioal Honor Society sponsored.

The fundraiser was certainly viewed as a success among PeaceJam members as well as the students.

“We’ve almost sold the whole cooler,” said freshman Angelina Luciano, during her smoothie shift at lunch.

“I thought it was a good fundraiser, the smoothies were good, and the money went to a good cause,” said senior Annie Ruffe.

Sveri May, the PeaceJam advisor, was also very excited about the fundraiser, saying that the kids would like to do it again.  May feels that the fundraiser is one that should not be done more than once or twice a month. May would like to do the fundraiser again or have another Loy Norrix organization participate in the fundraiser.

“When you find something that works, you share,” said May.

In the future, May would like to do the fundraiser again in order to buy books for the literacy project and create scholarships for Norrix students that would like to go see a Nobel Laureate.  This year, PeaceJam students will have the opportunity to see Nobel Laureate Jose Ramos Orta, the President of East Timor, at the Great Lakes PeaceJam Conference in March.

Catherine Kemp is the owner of Smoothie King who helped with the fundraiser.  The smoothies were $3 each, and PeaceJam received one dollar for every smoothie they sold.

Smoothie King participates in fundraisers in schools all over Kalamazoo including Kalamazoo Christian High School and middle school, Kalamazoo Central High School, and Western Michigan University.

“The fundraiser drives awareness which makes people come back to the store,” located at 316 North Drake Road in Kalamazoo said Kemp, “It’s a great fundraiser, healthy and convenient.”

Overall, the smoothies were a success.  Many students bought the smoothies because they were something new, something different from the regular menu.  Not only were the smoothies a tasty treat, but the money raised went to a good cause.