When Julie Bachmayer, social worker for the Bentonville School District, reflects on the children she has been able to help, she quickly thinks about an elementary school boy who slept on the floor every night with only a blanket.

Sleeping on the floor made him tired and unable to concentrate in class, Bachmayer said. She was able to use money from the district’s social work fund to buy the child a bed.

The Community Christmas Card fund helps students in various situations every year. The card is a yearly fundraiser organized by NWA Media to help students in need, said Rusty Turner, editor and publisher of NWA Media.

NWA Media is the parent company of the Benton County Daily Record, Rogers Morning News, Springdale Morning News and Northwest Arkansas Times.

The drive generated $23,917 last year for school districts in Benton, Washington and Madison counties in Arkansas and McDonald County in Missouri. This year’s drive has raised $12,519 as of Friday.

“It’s designed to go back to kids who are disadvantaged in some way,” Turner said of the fundraiser.

Donations to the Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale and Fayetteville districts go into social services funds, according to officials. The money in those funds comes solely from donations and is used on a case-by-case basis.

Social workers in the Rogers School District use donated money in their At Risk Fund for “unforeseen and off the wall” needs, said Linda Haley, district director of counseling. In the past, money has been used for field trip fees, clothing sizes that are expensive or difficult to find and medication for children without insurance.

“It does meet a huge need,” she said.

The Springdale social services fund receives donations throughout the year from individuals and companies, but the Christmas Card is by far the largest donation they get each year, said Kathy Launder, district school nurse coordinator. Money in the fund went toward helping 1,771 students last school year.

“This keeps us running all year,” she said.

In the Fayetteville School District, donations go into the Safety Net Fund, said Ananda Rosa, district social work coordinator. The fund’s motto is “to make sure no kids fall through the cracks,” and that’s just what it does, Rosa said. The money goes toward helping students and their families on a case-by-case basis.

“Safety Net Fund allows us to give them that boost they need in the right direction,” she said.

Bachmayer said she has witnessed the amount of need grow over the past couple years. She didn’t have numbers, but said she’s seen more students and parents asking for help this year than last.

“We couldn’t do it if we didn’t have those donations,” she said.

The minimum donation for the Christmas Card is $2 and allows the donor’s name to be printed in the Christmas Card published on Christmas Day in the Northwest Arkansas Times, Springdale Morning News, Rogers Morning News and Benton County Daily Record, Turner said. Donors can also opt to be anonymous or donate in honor of a loved one.

NWA Media collects the donations, which are distributed by the Endeavor Foundation, Turner said. The Endeavor Foundation is a community organization focused on supporting projects and programs in Northwest Arkansas through grants.

NWA Media pays the processing fees for the donations, and the districts get 100 percent of the donations, he said.

Donors can choose which district they want their money to go to, Turner said. Donations are tax deductible and can be made at any of the NWA Media offices through noon Tuesday.

“It’s a nice, inexpensive way to do something nice for people who might not otherwise have some of the things they need,” he said.