So let’s talk about our latest fundraiser! Fundraising for Kids Soar is more important now than ever with the opening of our second location. More kids in the Roanoke community are able to have access to our programs. With that in mind, we had an idea to combine the incredible smarts of our kids and the inner child in some of our city’s biggest influencers. Together, it made for a day full of laughs, delicious food, and drinks, and we all walked away learning things that we’re pretty confident we did NOT learn in the fifth grade!
After a long 15 months during the global pandemic, the team at Kids Soar was ready to bring the community together once again! With the amazing help of our sponsors, Can You Soar Higher Than an RCPS Student was born.
Let’s recap, shall we? We watched hesitantly as dark skies approached Big Lick Brewing Company on June 12, 2021. Our host, Kimberly McBroom (WDBJ7), and our contests, Xavier Duckett (Hmble Hstle Co.), Tay Whiteside (Black Dog Salvage), and Nikki Mitchem (Principal at Fallon Park Elementary School) were on their way and the audience was following closely behind. We all waited with fingers crossed that the weather would pass, and rain wouldn’t take our event indoors. To our delight, what started as a dark and gloomy day, turned into a bright and sunny afternoon!
With the hard work of our internal team, incredible host, contestants, and Kids Soar kids, we asked a series of questions in a similar fashion to the popular game show, Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader. As someone who is NOT a fifth-grader, let me tell you, these questions weren’t easy! Questions ranged from math problems (without a calculator- say it ain’t so!) to English questions asking about synonyms and antonyms and everything in-between. Additionally, we had three Kids Soar kids answering the same questions as our contestants in case a contestant needed a little help!
And the winner is… drum roll, please… Nikki Mitchem, Principal at Fallon Park Elementary School! We had a lot of laughs throughout the competition, and Nikki ran away with the win! For the next year, she’ll have bragging rights and we hope to see her back to defend her winning title in 2022.
Kids Soar would like to thank Big Lick Brewing Co. for the use of their space, and our wonderful sponsors Carilion Clinic and Wisler Plumbing and Air. Additionally, thank you to all that came out to support Kids Soar who laughed and learned with us throughout the day. Until next year!