Team wins with ‘disingenuousness' and $12K earned — a recap of Family Resource Center of Sheboygan County’s first spelling bee fundraiser
SHEBOYGAN — The Family Resource Center of Sheboygan County’s first spelling bee fundraiser made quite the buzz last week, with the community turning out to raise thousands of dollars for family and literacy programs.
Several teams of spellers competed at the event at Blue Harbor Conference Center April 18, but Mead Public Library representatives Carol Munroe and Marge Giesen won on the word “disingenuousness.”
“I was pretty solid on that one,” Giesen told a Sheboygan Press photographer.
The Mead team also won “Best Costume” for the spelling bee’s “Buzzworthy Books” theme, dressing up as Ms. Frizzle from “The Magic School Bus” and the Velveteen Rabbit, respectively.
The fundraising event also included networking, a dinner and silent auction. It raised more than $12,000 of a $25,000 goal for the FRC’s programming and services. The silent auction raised more than $3,700, with various offerings like a two-night stay at The America Club, two rounds of golf at Quit Qui Oc Golf Club, four general admission tickets to Summerfest and a beehive quilted wall hanging.
“We had lofty goals for the first year, but we're happy that we still made a pretty good chunk of money that will go back to our programs,” said Trisha Erpelding, executive director of the Family Resource Center of Sheboygan County. “We'll be able to build on the momentum and host the second annual event next year.”
Funds will go toward the Literacy Council (which provides one-on-one tutoring for adults to improve reading, writing and/or speaking in English), the Parents as Teachers Program (a home visitation program that supports parents with child development growth and tracking) and Group Connections (community events for families that vary from movie nights and family hikes).
Interest for the center’s programs increased since pandemic times when participation dipped. There was nearly a 500% increase in Group Connections participation from 2021 to 2023, according to Erpelding. Last program year, the center facilitated nearly 800 home visits and more than 3,900 tutoring hours.
“It's pretty cool to see,” she said. “People are coming out of COVID, and year by year it's grown more and more that folks are really embracing the programs that we have.”
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Spelling bee will return next year with decades theme
FRC is already looking to next year’s spelling bee fundraiser, which could be at Blue Harbor Resort in the springtime again. A specific date hasn’t been determined yet.
The bee will be decades-themed “Spelling Through the Years,” with a related costume contest, “Bee Your Favorite Decade.”
How to get in contact with Family Resource Center of Sheboygan County
Those interested in becoming a volunteer tutor can learn more at https://familyresourcesheboygan.org/volunteer-as-a-tutor/. Tutors are required to have a high school diploma.
Tutor training will be from 5:30 to 8 p.m. May 14 and 16 at Lakeshore Technical College, 1320 Niagara Ave., in room S106.
The Family Resources Center of Sheboygan County is accepting donations, too.
Contact the organization at 920-892-6706 or terpelding@frc-sc.org. Find FRC at 1500 Douglas Drive in Plymouth.
Have a story tip? Contact Alex Garner at 224-374-2332 or agarner@gannett.com. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @alexx_garner.
This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Sheboygan spelling bee raises funds for family and literacy programs
