Raise MB sets sights on 2nd year with new nonprofit

This time last year, students and staff at Mountain Brook High School had shifted away from their annual Relay for Life fundraiser and pursue a new course of action: Raise Mountain Brook, or Raise MB.

In the 2017-18 school year, advisor Ben Callaway said they had a lot of student participation — around 80 students. The idea was that students would decide which nonprofit or organization the club would fundraise for annually by pitching ideas and voting. That process gives the students more input and an increased voice in the school, he said. 

Callaway’s role is just to offer suggestions and provide assistance when needed — everything else is student-led. He said this method is an “inherent component” to the club. The only limitation he offers to the group is to try to keep the benefiting organization local. Last year, Raise MB chose the Sid Strong Foundation.

“Rather than a big national charity, we want to raise money for things that are going to make an impact, if not in the Mountain Brook community, maybe the greater Birmingham community,” he said. “We want to see the money work here at home.”

Callaway said the club mainly focused on building a solid foundation for the future during their initial year, but they also held four fundraisers: two that solicited donations during a food truck rally at the high school, a student basketball tournament and the annual Powder Puff football game. He said the football game, during which the sophomore, junior and senior girls purchased shirts to play football against one another, was their biggest event.

The club opted not to put a monetary goal on last year, but Callaway called it all a success.

“We wanted to do this because it was the right thing to do, as opposed to hitting some goal and brag about how much money we raised,” he said. But, he also said he wouldn’t be surprised if the students did want a number to work toward this year. 

Callaway said the students involved with Raise MB chose to benefit Children’s of Alabama this year, and are raising money for the hospital through a series of fundraisers. He’d like to see some partnership with local business and restaurants, which many school clubs already do.

“We are certainly open to, you know, getting our ideas for fundraising down and taking it to the next level this year,” he said. 

Applications were accepted for the club at the beginning of the school year, although Callaway said the process “isn’t strict.” He only looks to see that the students have a willingness to participate. Any student from any walk of life or academic caliber is invited to participate and have a hand in Raise MB. But due to the size and popularity of the club, the challenge, he said, will be to make sure each student has a role, “something to call their own,” for the year.

“At the end of the day, what’s important for me is that … they feel like they accomplished something, that they feel like they did something,” Callaway said, in addition to helping these local organizations. “That what they did actually had meaning, I think that’s something that’s incredibly powerful.”