Clearspring Middle School breaks records with Baby Bottle Drive

Students and staff at Clearspring Middle School set a new record this year through their annual Baby Bottle Drive in support of Steinbach Family Resource Centre (SFRC).

The Baby Bottle Drive is a community fundraiser where students take home baby bottles and fill them with loose change, cash, or donations to support local families and children through SFRC programming and services. This year’s campaign ran from May 4 to 21.

This year the school raised nearly $7,600, surpassing last year’s total of about $6,650.

Funds raised through the campaign will directly support SFRC’s Preschool Learn & Play program, helping preschool-aged children build skills and confidence as they prepare for kindergarten. Donations will help purchase program materials including equipment, craft supplies, activities, and nutritious snack items for participating families.

The grand total was announced at Clearspring Middle School alongside prizes recognizing the top fundraising classes and individual student fundraisers.

“We continue to choose to support Steinbach Family Resource Centre because of the meaningful impact the organization has on families throughout our growing community,” said Dawn Gautron, Grade 6 teacher. “As Steinbach continues to grow, so does the need for accessible and supportive resources for families at every stage. SFRC supports such a wide variety of families — including expecting parents, newcomer families, single-parent households, and families simply looking for connection and support. We are proud to support an organization that creates welcoming spaces for families and provides programs that strengthen both children and caregivers within our community.”

Gautron added that students become especially motivated each year as they work together toward surpassing the previous year’s fundraising total.

“There’s always a lot of excitement throughout the school as students encourage one another and set goals together,” she said. “This year we also had some friendly classroom challenges within Grade 5, which helped keep students engaged and excited about giving back.”

Natasha Janz, Grade 6 teacher, said the physical baby bottles play a major role in helping students feel connected to the cause.

“The campaign is always so well received because students are able to physically take a bottle home and feel a sense of responsibility to help make a difference,” said Janz. “The bottle itself becomes a visual reminder of the cause, both for students and their families. Many students even create personal goals to see if they can completely fill their bottle, which adds another level of excitement and motivation.”

Among this year’s top fundraisers were brothers Charlie and Max Trinh, who raised a combined total of $2,500.

“In the past we’ve done bake sales to help raise money for the Baby Bottle Drive, but this year I made a video to send to family members asking if they wanted to donate,” said Charlie. “One of our family members donated $1,000, which helped a lot. We also baked treats for teachers at school in exchange for donations. I think the fundraiser is really nice because even something simple like loose change can help support a really good cause.”

Charlie added that touring SFRC in the past with legacy board member Carmel Wiebe helped him better understand the impact the organization has on local families.

Representatives from Steinbach Family Resource Centre say they continue to be amazed by the dedication and generosity shown by the students and staff at Clearspring Middle School.

“It is truly inspiring to see young individuals so passionate about giving back to their community,” said SFRC’s program manager, Kirstin Gautron. “Watching the pride and excitement on students’ faces when they are reminded of the grand total raised is incredibly meaningful. We are so grateful for all of the hard work that went into making this campaign such a huge success — from students going door-to-door, asking neighbours, family, and friends to donate, and collecting loose change wherever they could.”