I am grateful for the reminder...

Although I am taking a huge load this semester (23 hours), and I have very little spare time, after hearing about this I just had to help out. This past week I spent 8 hours at Lincoln Elementary and I am grateful for the reminder of my many blessings. I have started volunteering with Diane Fullerton who has organized a program to help children who live below the poverty level in the Salk Lake area. To tell you all a little bit about it, title 1 schools in Salt Lake have opened school opportunity stores , giving school children a place to shop for needs and wants, but mostly needs. They children use play money that they earn through attendance, homework, and good behavior. For three days every month the store opens and about 5 children come in at a time and they shop. The play money is called "Lincoln Loot" and because I was there to assist the little ones to select wisely, I am now the Loot Lady and happy to sport the new title. Everything in the loot store is possible due to donations, both items and money. The most touching part is that these kids will save there money and then use it to buy a necessity that a family member might need such as deoderant, shampoo, even diapers. Most things in the store are priced low, especially if it is a need, but once and a while a big item is donated that is priced higher. Once a brand new razor scooter had been donated. This is an expensive toy in the real world and it's a want so it was priced at 400 loot. One boy had been saving for months and had 403 loot. When he got to the store his eyes lit up as he saw the beautiful scooter in the corner of the room. He asked Diane if he could buy it. As she looked at his money and found that he had enough she was happy to be able to tell him yes. As Diane helped him check out with his new prize, she said, "You've worked very hard to buy this! Are you excited to use it?" Then with a huge smile the boy said, "Oh, it's not for me, it's for my younger brother. He's always wanted one and we've never been able to get it for him." This answer melted my heart, especially knowing the cercomstances. His family could probable never afford to buy something like that and this little boy was so excited to serve his brother and forget himself.

Like I said, I am grateful for the reminder and for the opportunity to serve these children.

Please let me know if you want to help out with your time or donations.

Here are just a few of the items that are always needed:
-Toiletries (new)
-Jewelry (this can be used/old)
-Stuffed Animals (slightly used)
-Balls (new and used)
-School supplies (new)
-Blankets (slightly used)
-Diapers
-$

Below is the story Deseret Morning News did on this program


(photos by Tom Smart, Deseret Morning News)

Loot Store is a big hit at Lincoln

By Tiffany Erickson
Deseret Morning News

Published: February 23, 2004

Lincoln Elementary has taken the gold-star concept to a higher level — greenbacks.

Kids are going above and beyond earning money through good behavior to cash in at their own mercantile, the Lincoln Loot Store. The money is fake, but the results are real and far-reaching.

The "loot" concept got off the ground when Diane Fullerton got wind of the program while shopping around for a service project for her church group. After looking into it more, she realized that the program was nowhere near its potential.

"(The store) had mostly castoffs and things that kids really wouldn't be interested in," said Fullerton.

So after getting the nod from Lincoln's principal, Fullerton rolled up her sleeves and turned the store, which is located in a small room in the school, into the biggest incentive program Lincoln has seen.

Students are rewarded on an individual basis for attendance, doing homework, reading, random acts of kindness and even helping the janitors.

Lincoln, located at 1090 Roberta St. in Salt Lake City, has an 86 percent poverty rate, which is one of the reasons Fullerton said the Loot Store is so successful. It now has new toys, games and books, but it also has food, socks, gloves, loofahs, soap, pillows, blankets and shampoo.

It's common to see a first-grader walk out of the store with a month's earnings spent on Top Ramen and a pair of socks — items students at other schools wouldn't look at twice.

"This wouldn't work for kids at school that don't have the need these children do," said Fullerton. "They can't even conceive not having the basic necessities."

But Fullerton said overwhelmingly kids buy for their families first. Then if they have money left, they buy for themselves.

It's not a handout — they earn it, said Fullerton. The students have a chance to come in once a month to spend their loot dollars. The store is open every Wednesday, and classes are coordinated to come in at certain times each month.

First-grade teacher Becky Page said it is a positive way to enforce good behavior.

"Instead of yelling, 'Sit down!' you start giving loot to the kids that are sitting and quiet, and then they all follow — you don't have to say anything."

Principal Shannon Andersen said the program provides a solid piece of motivation that works universally.

"It works so well we might as well be giving them real money," said Andersen. "It's so well-organized . . . the woman (Fullerton) could be a CEO."

She said Fullerton works tirelessly to organize donations, volunteers and the store itself to keep the students motivated. She saw a need and works every day to meet it.

But Fullerton's children go to school in Holladay. She had no affiliation with Lincoln before the Loot Store, but realized it would be a better use of her time — as opposed to helping out in her neighborhood school, where "you have to arm-wrestle six other moms to be a room mother." Lincoln doesn't have that kind of support.

Now two years into it, Fullerton said the program has taken on a life of its own. She gets donations from businesses, schools and church groups, and the Loot Store is always full. In the beginning, she funded it by herself and with some thrifty shopping at All-a-Dollar. But now through word of mouth she receives money, donations and volunteers from all over.

"I have a lot of support and would like to expand this into other Title I schools," said Fullerton. "There is no downside to this — the cost is nothing to the school but the space they give me."

With the strength the program has now, Fullerton said she could share with other schools who have the same needs as Lincoln. She just needs bodies and interest to start up more Loot Stores.

She said this is a perfect avenue for people wanting to make an immediate and direct difference in schools. Those interested in volunteering, donating or learning more may e-mail Fullerton at lootstore@comcast.net.

"Come talk to me, I've invented the wheel. It's ready to be implemented," said Fullerton. "I've got it organized, structured, and I have lists of schools with the need."