Heifer Around the Web: Japanese Students Hold Bunkasai Festival to Raise Funds

By Linda Meyers

October 3, 2019

Last Updated: April 15, 2012

Every Sunday we will highlight some of the people who are funding our work creatively or helping us spread the word of our mission online. If you spot Heifer International while you’re surfing the web or know of a fun or creative fundraising effort, please share it with us here in the comments.

You'll want to check out these blog posts we spotted this week: 

We were honored to be included in ABC News blogger Lauren Torrisi's blog post, Fight Hunger With These 5 Charities.

Abby Van Derstuyf, on right, competes with Brooke Isaacs during a chop stick race.Roby Brock, of TalkBusiness.net, writes about several Heifer enthusiasts who put the "fun" in fundraising: an 8-year-old creating and selling greeting cards, a group jigsaw puzzle, Jog for a Hog, Big Moo Canoe, as well as some celebrities helping to bring in cash for our projects around the world.

From daily Lenten activities to a Japanese festival and a man dressed up as a cow, the entertainingly unique fund-raisers keep coming:

The JBAB Chapel Protestant Community Challenge hoped to collect $5,000 for one Gift Ark during Lent. "Ark Banks" were given out along with calendars daily activities ideas for adding to the bank. Each week, a different animal was featured, along with an explanation about how the animal could help a family become self-sufficient. The challenge ended with the $7,779 in donations.

North Farmington High School Japanese language students held their first Bunkasai festivallast week, offering those attending everything from rice balls to origami lessons. The event raised $700 for Heifer International and provided fun and learning for students and those attending.

Holy Cow! I was especially interested in this story about a school principal wearing a cow suit after his students fundraiser for Heifer! The school is Salem Lutheran, which is about two miles from my pre-Arkansas home in Affton, Mo.

If you know of any unique fund-raising events or ideas, let us know so we can share them in a future post!