This year on April 30th, Communities hosted a Spaghetti dinner at North High School. They worked side-by-side with members of Mid-Morning Kiwanis to help make this event a success. 

Every year Communities hosts a spaghetti dinner to raise money for an organization that Communities had been working with around that time. For example last year they raised money for the International Network for Aid, Relief and Assistance (INARA), but this year was a little different. The money that was raised went to Communities so they could continue to support the community with events such as: CARE Days, The Food & Toy Drive (in collaboration with the Oshkosh Fire Department), and BikeOsh. This year, the juniors and the seniors in the program were in charge of organizing, setting up, serving during, and cleaning up the event. 

Communities teacher Barby Ames explained, “I love that this event helps to bring community members into the school to have a great meal and have conversations with our students about the program. This year is special because the money raised goes right back into our local Oshkosh projects.”

Students sold spots on placemats to help raise funds for this event. One fun addition this year was a placemat that was entirely North alumni businesses. 

Overall this event was a big success. 386 tickets were sold! Another big benefit of this event was the ability to inform the public about the many different projects students have participated in during their time in Communities. Students were also able to answer different questions about these projects as community members sat and enjoyed their meals. 

There is already excitement about next year’s spaghetti dinner which will go back to supporting a different organization. At the end of the day, the students are happy to know that the money is going back to help make a difference.