Teens Organize Benefit Dinner At Restaurant

Breanna Boyd, 15, from left, Kaitlin Ahrens, 15, Tasfia Jahangir, 14, and Esmeralda Martinez, 14, members of Ramay Girls Rock, gather Friday at Ramay Junior High School prepare for a fundraiser the group will host Monday at Powerhouse Seafood & Grill in Fayetteville. Money from the fundraiser goes to benefit Safety Net.
Breanna Boyd, 15, from left, Kaitlin Ahrens, 15, Tasfia Jahangir, 14, and Esmeralda Martinez, 14, members of Ramay Girls Rock, gather Friday at Ramay Junior High School prepare for a fundraiser the group will host Monday at Powerhouse Seafood & Grill in Fayetteville. Money from the fundraiser goes to benefit Safety Net.

— Ramay Junior High School students are raising money for Safety Net, which assists students from across the district.

Safety Net is a fund that helps students with expenses to enrich their education experience or assist their families. The money can be spent on anything from football cleats to gasoline, said Ananda Rosa, social work coordinator for the district.

At A Glance

Safety Net

The Safety Net fund helps Fayetteville students with:

Medication.

Band and cheerleading fees.

Clothing, including coats, and shoes.

Field trip fees.

Food for the Outback, a school district store.

Utilities and laundry vouchers.

Crutches, co-pays for doctor’s visits.

Gasoline to get to doctor’s appointments.

Gas and expenses to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock.

Sports and summer camp fees.

Boys & Girls Club membership fee.

Source: Fayetteville School District

The benefit dinner will be from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Monday at Powerhouse Grill, 112 N. University Ave.

The students will welcome diners and clear tables, said Esmeralda Martinez, 14, a member of Ramay Girls Rock, a team building organization for ninth-grade girls to develop leadership skills.

The event is their first venture into fundraising.

Ramay Girls Rock is a great opportunity for girls, Martinez said. “Some girls don’t have a chance to do it. I was surprised to be chosen.”

“We want to raise as much as we can and we want diners to enjoy themselves and help a good cause,” said Kaitlin Ahrens, 14, one of the 11 students chosen for the organization.

Girls Rock was organized about three years ago with a grant from the Fayetteville Junior Civic League to the Fayetteville Public Education Foundation. Girls are chosen based on their demonstrated leadership potential, said Cindy Caudle, a counselor and sponsor of the group at Ramay.

The students decided to have a fundraiser after hearing a presentation by Rosa, who oversees the Safety Net.

The junior civic league created Safety Net about 25 years ago with proceeds from the sale of calendars, Rosa said.

She estimates Safety Net spends about $20,000 a year to assist students and relies on community donations to fill the coffers.

The program doesn’t get a stipend from the school district.

Powerhouse diners who want to participate in the fundraiser should notify the staff as they are seated. Jeff Caudle, restaurant owner, will contribute 50 percent of the dinner cost to Safety Net.

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