Buttons for Change - We Are All Winners!

What a week!  Not only have you guys reached out and donated to Buttons For Change, you showed up to vote for the next recipient of your amazing generosity.  With almost 1,500 votes cast, Minden High School Art Club in Minden, LA is your winner!

Minden is a small city in the Webster Parish of Northwestern Louisiana.  Minden High School serves approximately 700 students in the small, rural community. It is obvious that although Minden is a small town, they have very big hearts.  One of their claims to fame is that they raise more money per capita for St. Jude Children’s Hospital than any other place in the country! The parish school system is an integral part of those fund raising efforts, contributing tens of thousands of dollars each year. Student groups use their platforms to raise money, and MHS Art Club is no different.  They are selflessly using their buttons to change the world for children with life threatening illnesses and their families.

The students in the MHS Art Club have a 1" button maker and a 2.25" button maker that they use to make custom buttons for the student body, elementary schools and their community.  They sell the buttons for a nominal fee and donate all of the proceeds to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.  According to their teacher, Mr. Jim Croad, "the button maker is a great resource for us because we are able to customize what we can offer and can attach the buttons to Mardi Gras beads, which are very popular in our region. We are excited to have this opportunity to expand our button making for St. Jude fund raising efforts."  We're excited too, Mr. Croad!  Now this group of amazing young adults will have 500 shiny new buttons to create and 6 months of Build-a-Button software to help them do their creating!  On behalf of American Button Machines and all of the generous contributors to the Buttons for Change program, congratulations to you and the MHS Art Club and keep up the good work!  You are shining examples of how Buttons for Change is helping to change the world, one button at a time!

Watch our blog and Facebook page for updates on the MHS Art Club and the wonderful contributions they are making to St. Jude.

 Until next time - happy button making!

 By Brighid Brown, Director of Blogging and All Things Cool at ABM