Some field trips might be more costly than others. Price usually depends on the level of education that students might get from the experience or how far they must travel. In college-level classes, education is expanded outside of the classroom, but field trips tend to be expensive and difficult to afford for many students. Schools and student groups may try to fundraise to lessen costs.
Rock Valley College Students for Better Breathing Club (SBBC) is fundraising to make money for their trip to Orlando, Florida, in November. SBBC hopes to travel to Florida in November to attend the AARC conference. This conference provides a networking space and learning opportunities for college students who plan to become respiratory therapists. The AARC conference will be held at the Orange County Convention Center.
Predictable costs like airfare, hotels and food are a concern of SBBC. Lindsey Kasten is the director of Clinical Education for the Respiratory Care program. Kasten also acts as the advisor for SBBC. She told her interested students that they would need to think of ways to fundraise for the trip. One of them gave her the idea to fundraise through Chipotle.
On March 12th, Chipotle, located on E Riverside Blvd in Loves Park, participated in helping SBBC raise money for their trip. During these events, known as “share nights,” a company like Chipotle will pick a community group to help raise money. Customers who order online or in store can direct their purchase to help the fundraiser. SBBC will receive about 1/3 of the money made from orders directed towards the share-night.
Sierra Blakely is a General Manager of Chipotle stores in the Rockford area. Her stores do around 5-6 community events a year. Blakely’s busiest fundraisers are ones for schools, especially young kids.
“Yeah, it gets pretty busy,” Blakely said. “I say it gets mostly busy when it’s like elementary schools because most of the time, the families come in.”
SBBC plans to have 10 students from RVC attending the AARC conference in November, which is double the attendance of RVC students for past conferences.
Kasten says, “There’s a lot of tracts and education for them on board exam prep and getting licensed and how to be umm- successful as an RT (respiratory therapist) …they can also sit in on the lectures that are for like staff and educators.”
The conference will be beneficial to SBBC members who are pursuing a career in respiratory therapy.
The Students for Better Breathing has raised roughly $500 from fundraising so far. With the conference still far into the future, SBBC has time. On April 24th from 10:30 am-11:45 pm, SBBC plans to fundraise at Buffalo Wild Wings on E State St. Kasten says SBBC also plans to do a laundry detergent fundraiser soon.
Many of Kasten’s students in SBBC find excitement in this trip.
“The travel thing is a newer thing that we’ve started, and the students really enjoyed it,” Kasten said.
