Twist & Earn! Helps Teens Raise Money & Awareness

Posted by Dawn – September 15, 2010

This past spring, Flow Circus sponsored a contest for librarians looking for innovative programming ideas for their teens. The Make Waves/Make Money Library Giveaway awarded Twist & Earn! tote bags to 6 libraries in the regions where we currently offer performances and workshops. These tote bags contain instructional materials and supplies needed to learn how to twist balloons in order raise money toward a goal determined by the teens.

One of the contest winners was East Greenbush Community Library in New York where teens decided to raise money for WaterAid America. WaterAid America works to provide clean, safe water and sanitation to communities in Africa and Asia. The teens twisted balloon animals at the children’s Summer Reading Program kick-off event and were able to raise $86 in just one afternoon. The benefits of the program go beyond just raising money. As Tween/Teen Librarian Chrissie Morrison wrote about Twist & Earn!

I think it is a great way to work on building bridges within the community and around the world.  Getting the teens to work with other generations helps them to be seen in a positive light instead of always being looked upon as an annoyance and/or as trouble-makers.  Getting teens involved in charity work also helps them to learn more about the world around them and to DO SOMETHING about the parts they want to change/improve!

The following article highlights the work of the East Greenbush teens.

Chambers County Starts Twisting!

Posted by Dawn – June 14, 2010

We recently had the opportunity to visit one of the libraries that won a fundraising tote during the May 2010 Twist & Earn Giveaway. The teens at the Chambers County Library in Alabama are very excited to start sharing their new skills to raise money for school supplies for underprivileged kids.

As you can see here, they were very excited to create balloon hats in all shapes and sizes. They will start twisting at community events this month to start working toward their fundraising goal. We enjoyed our visit & wish them the best of luck!

Make Waves/Make Money – Winners Announced!

Posted by Dawn – May 3, 2010

We were thrilled with the response that we had to our Twist & Earn! Giveaway and the exciting projects that librarians are trying to provide for their teens. Because of the number and clear need for additional resources, we decided to increase our donation to 3 programs per region (we wish it could be more!). Without further adieu, the winners are………

Northeast Region
Chrissie Morrison, East Greenbush Community Library in East Greenbush, NY
Fundraising for Water Aid America
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David Hrivnak, Peoples Library in New Kensington, PA
Graphic Novels for the teen section
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Joan Rose, Mahopac Public Library in Mahopac, NY
Comfortable, teen-friendly furniture

Southeast Region
Brandon Robbins, Wayne County Public Library in Goldsboro, NC
PA system for live music and other events
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Kati Behrens, Chambers County Public Library in Valley, AL
Teens fundraise in the summer to purchase school supplies for underprivileged kids
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Vanessa Campbell, Mooresville Public Library in Mooresville, NC
Furniture for YA section, Fish tank for teens, glass display case

We look forward to helping these teens reach their fundraising goals this summer. We will keep you posted so check back here or at our new Twist & Earn! Facebook Page.

Wake Forest-Rolesville Middle School Gets Twisting!

Posted by Dawn – May 1, 2010

Our local middle school has an active afterschool organization called S.O.S. (Social Organization & Service Club). The club introduces students to the needs of others in their community and the ethical management of business. Their big event every spring is a dance marathon which raises money for Duke and UNC’s Children’s Hospitals. Their goal for the dance marathon and other fund raising efforts this year is $20,000.

Recently, their faculty adviser asked the local business community to help students develop entrepreneurial skills such as writing business plans, budgeting, marketing, project management, etc.  Flow Circus responded by offering a balloon twisting workshop. We had over 20 kids from the club attend and volunteer to twist at upcoming community events.

Now that they know how to twist, students will work in teams developing plans for where to twist, contacting local businesses/events to get permission to twist, advertising, and tracking their sales. Twisting at local events leading up to the dance marathon will also help them raise awareness about their organization/event.

Pictured to the right are SOS students twisting at Meet in the Street – a community day attracting hundreds of local residents. We saw lots of residents walking around the festival with fabulous balloon hats & animals twisted by students.

Make Waves/Make Money – Library Giveaway

Posted by Dawn – March 31, 2010

Exciting news for YA/Teen Librarians looking for funding AND innovative programming.

Flow Circus will be donating Twist &Earn! fund raising tote bags to 4 libraries in the regions where we currently do performances and workshops. The Twist & Earn! program provides your teens with instructional materials and the supplies needed to learn how to twist balloons and fund raise for your library. Have your teen advisory group identify a goal, learn a new skill, and then go out into the community to earn money toward that goal. Teens can Make Waves this summer by making a contribution to their library!

More…

How Twist & Earn! Works……

Posted by Dawn – March 21, 2010

Twist & Earn! is perfect for:

  • Afterschool clubs raising money for a good cause
  • Library Teen Advisory Group with program ideas, but no budget
  • Bands, Drama Clubs, or Athletic teams wanting to travel for competition
  • Church youth groups raising money for mission trips
  • Any other group with tweens/teens that need to raise money!

The tweens & teens your group will learn basic balloon twisting & entrepreneurial skills as they work toward their fund raising goals. Groups of students can twist balloons at community festivals, sporting events (balloons can be ordered in school colors), or other high traffic areas. A few hours on one afternoon can yield hundreds of dollars.

How can twisting balloons raise money? Each balloon costs about 6 cents, but once inflated and twisted it can be sold for a suggested donation of a dollar (or more). That’s a 94 cent profit per balloon! Students learn that by investing a little bit of time to gain skills, they can create something of value.

Twisted Fun Workshops

Posted by admin – March 21, 2010

We love to kick off Twist & Earn! programs with a hands-on Twisted Fun workshop. Tweens & teen learn how to twist dogs, giraffes, and other animal sculptures. Enthusiasm is palpable as 20-25 teens twist balloons and conquer their fears of balloons popping.

Participants then get to show their individual style by sculpting balloons hats in all shapes & colors! There are no rules when it comes to hats. Team building exercises and other creative brainstorming activities can also be included in these workshops.

Balloons as Art

Posted by Dawn – March 20, 2010

Balloon dogs can make almost any child smile from ear to ear, but did you know that balloons can be used to create giant sculptures. Balloon artist and Twist & Earn! creator, Paul Miller has created several large-scale sculptures including a 40′ long pirate ship, a 2-story red dress (for Women’s Heart Health month), a giant wind turbine on NC State Campus, as well as several holiday scenes.

2006 – Seattle Sea Fair Pirate Festival – 20′ long, 16′ Tall, 400 balloons, 26 hours

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